


The Magical Exchange

by thewriterxj



Category: Original Work, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-26 09:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 36
Words: 99,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30104127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewriterxj/pseuds/thewriterxj
Summary: Liam has been enrolled in a student exchange program, which wouldn't be bad, except everything about it is bad. It will be during his freshman year of college. He will be separated from his girlfriend, Mia. And he will be stuck with a bunch of magical types. And he hasn't got a magical bone in his body. Things go from bad to worse when he's paired with the magic school's Chosen One, Julian, and gets pulled into the dangerous situations each Chosen One has to face. Liam want to turn tail and run, then something unthinkable happens...Julian's magic is transferred to Liam, and now he must make sure that Julian survives to get his magic back. Its the only way he can leave this blasted school and go home, after all.This started off as a Simon Snow fanfic but went rogue. Enjoy, either way.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

"You're joking, right?"

Mom shrugged as she circled the kitchen island. She'd just deposited a brochure on top of my empty cereal bowl, just as I was about to pour more cereal into it. "You don't need anymore cereal, anyway."

"I'm a growing boy," I said, picking up the brochure. _The Magical Exchange Program_ was written across the top. Or rather, it was stamped with nearly invisible foil. You could see the letters gleam when you bent the paper this way and that. "I need my carbs."

Mom planted her hands on the counter across from me, near the sink. Her strawberry blonde hair framed her head in trendy ringlets, although she still sported a 90s inspired "mom bang" as I liked to call them. She fixed her eyes on me and made that face she made when she was delivering news I wouldn't like. "Your dad's already signed you up."

"What?" I scoffed. "No, mom, no. No! It's senior year! I can't...leave! I want to graduate with my friends! And I don't want to spend senior year with a bunch of...pixies and vampires!"

"Hey, calm down, Liam. Don't shoot the messenger. Besides, its not for this year. Its for college."

I groaned. I hadn't settled on a college yet, and my grades didn't make me the best pick for any college anyway. I had planned to spend a year or two at a junior college until I found a major that didn't suck, and then go from there. I'd probably end up at a Cal State. I didn't mind. I wanted to do something with my hands anyway. Degrees were a waste of money and time. "Is this because I don't want to be a teacher?"

"No, its not because you don't want to be a teacher," Mom said. She went and grabbed a new mug for her coffee, even though she had already dirtied one. She put the old one in the sink and filled the new one. "And its not because you don't want to go to a university. Your dad thinks that it is best for you to go out and see the world."

"I don't want to see the world. I want to stay here. And why isn't he telling me this?"

"Because he knows you'll argue, and he doesn't want an argument."

"He's a coward."

"Hey."

"He is! He can't just come down and tell me himself?" I looked up at the ceiling. "C'mon Dad! Come tell me all about how disappointing your jock son is! Tell me how I should think with my brains more! How I should find a girl who is willing to support me being a banker or a professor or a doctor!"

I turned my eyes to Mom when nothing happened. She just shook her head. "Your dad doesn't disapprove of Mia."

"That doesn't mean he likes her."

"He'd like her more if she was more studious."

"Like you were studious?" How Mom and Dad ended up together, I'll never know. I have some theories. Mom was the dominant one, and dad just went along with whatever she wanted. When Dad wanted something done, he told Mom to do it. That was why she was down here delivering the news about this...exchange program, instead of him. He wanted things his way, but was too afraid to do the work to make it happen.

"Your dad was a good influence. I graduated high school after summer school. Then I went and got my BA, and Master's, and now I am a teacher."

"Art teacher."

"Still a teacher."

"I knew this was about me not wanting to be a teacher."

"It is _not_ about you being a teacher."

"Just because you say it doesn't make it true, Mom."

She continued anyway. "It is about you going to see the world. The exchange program lets you do that, and get a fresh start in schools that don't look at your GPA, and you get to meet new people. Plus, you get to travel. Its only for one semester to start. Not many kids get a chance like this."

"You make it sound like I don't have a choice."

"Its not that. Your Dad wants this, and I agree."

"You didn't send off Natalie when she graduated high school." I poked at crumbs in my empty cereal bowl. I was pouting now, and bringing up Natalie, my sister, was a horrible tactic.

"Natalie went off to Cornell."

"Oh yeah, how can I forget." I rolled my eyes. They landed on the clock on top of the microwave. I needed to leave to go pick up Mia, and then head off to school. "Whatever. I gotta go."

I got up, didn't bother to put my bowl in the sink - passive aggressiveness was petty, but I had nothing else at the moment - and grabbed up my bag. I went out the door, and Mom didn't say anything to me, so I didn't give a goodbye. My Corolla - ten years old with the interior duct taped into place - waited outside. I threw my bag in, slammed the door for effect, and took off to Mia's house, which wasn't that far.

Mia lived in a nice house, and had a car of her own, but liked for me to pick her up. I liked to pick her up. It felt nice, being the boyfriend who could do that for her. Truth be told, I didn't need to do anything for her that she didn't already have. If she wanted jewelry, her parents gave it to her, or gave her the money for it. Same with clothes. Watches. Cars. She called herself a minimalist, though, so she didn't really indulge herself. Or maybe she did when I wasn't around.

She was already waiting by the curb when I pulled up, her tablet bag in hand. She wore workout clothes all the time because she said they were comfortable, and she didn't feel stared at. She got in, her black waves bouncing as she sat in the creaky taped together seat. She leaned over and gave me a kiss. "Morning."

"Morning," I said, a little more monotone than I wanted. Mia raised a perfectly groomed brow.

"Dad say something stupid again today?"

I held up the brochure. She took it and belted herself in, then gave a laugh as we took off down the road.

"You have to me kidding me."

"That's what I said."

"They want you to go to a _magic_ school?" She gave a full laugh at that. "Where are you hiding your magicness, hmm?"

"I am _not_ magic."

"And neither is anyone in your family."

"I know."

"What's the point of sending you to a magic school?" She opened the brochure. "Oh my God. _Escuchame_. ' _The program is ideal for those with low to no magical ability to explore the world and to experience the culture of magical realms and creatures. Your child will be exposed to the ways of witches, warlocks, sorcerers, and more, including students who may be vampires (the safe kind, we promise)_ ," she raised her brows and smirked at me at that. " _Fairies, elves, giants, and even an alien or two.'_ " She laughed and tossed the brochure at me.

"Hey, not while I'm driving," I said, batting the brochure away.

"There are no such things as aliens anyway. And I am sure exposing humans to vampires is illegal."

"They're trying to sell it. Its probably a discount program."

"Right?" She picked up the brochure again. " _Instead of being placed with a family like traditional, non-magical exchange programs, the student will be placed in a special dormitory with other students from the program. They will complete their lower division courses within the magical school of their choice, and take magic culture studies courses to familiarize themselves with the culture. They will be assigned a student mentor who will become their friend and ambassador to the magical world. Who knows, your student may even learn some magic along the way!"_ She giggled. "Aww, that's sweet. The buddy system."

"Its stupid. I have no interest in the magic world. None of my family does. They only want me out of their hair, and they want me away from..." I caught myself before I could finish the sentence. I looked to Mia, who raised her brows. "Oh, come on, Mia. You know they don't like this. Or at least Dad doesn't."

"It's because I'm Mexican."

"It's because you aren't a rich, well-to-do daughter of a professor or doctor whose only goal in life is to marry up."

"My mom is a doctor."

"She has a doctorate."

"Same shit." Mia scoffed. "I thought you were going to talk to them about this."

"I did! I do!" I sighed. "Every time I bring you up, we 'talk' about this. They want you to be mindless. To do whatever I tell you to do. Or to be so domineering that I do whatever _you_ want me to do. I...look, I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, I do. This isn't fair, Liam. I should be able to be with my boyfriend and not worry about racist or classist or sexist parents."

"I can't help how they are. Trust me. I've tried." I was starting to get frustrated. I didn't want to argue about my parents. I had wanted to get in the car with Mia, and have a good morning to offset this stupid idea my parents had. I wanted to go to Dino's Donuts, get us a set of bear claws or tiger tails with some coffee, and then head into school. We'd sit and watch the younger kids be dropped off by their parents in their Teslas and Caddies. The kids whose parents didn't have high end, middle class cars, would be dropped off down the street. No one wanted to be seen getting out of Accords or Camreys unless they were driving them.

I had a feeling my morning plans were going to be shot. An argument was brewing, so I didn't even bother to head towards Dino's.

"You can put your foot down!" Mia said. "Tell them to shut up about your girlfriend and start treating her like a person and not the cap to a picture perfect middle class diorama!"

"I do put my foot down, Mia! I'm not standing there letting them shit on you or anything!"

"Then how come you don't invite me over more?"

"Because they don't listen!" I spat out the last word by syllable. "They don't care! They don't give a shit! It wouldn't matter if it were you or anyone else! If it wasn't someone they picked, they'd have a problem! Besides, we have fun other places."

"You deserve to bring your girlfriend to your house. We deserve to be able to hang out without waiting for a backhanded compliment or...passive aggressive jab or something! Other girlfriends get to go to their boyfriend's houses and make out or Netflix and chill or whatever!"

"No one says Netflix and chill anymore, Mia."

"Liam!"

"What do you want me to do, Mia? Tell them to fuck off? What do you think that's gonna do, huh?" I looked at her. She huffed and crossed her arms. "Throw shit at them? Threaten them? What do you think will happen? They'll kick me out, Mia. I'm not exactly in a spot to move out right now. Neither are you!"

"You haven't tried."

"I get paid minimum wage! You don't even have a job! A room in someone else's house is like over a grand a month!"

"So are you just going to stay with them forever then?"

"What the fuck, Mia? What are you even talking about? This isn't a solution."

"So I am supposed to solve your problems, then?"

"No, but you're making it my problem."

"How your parents treat your girlfriend isn't your problem?"

"No, Mia, don't make it sound like I don't think it is a problem..."

"I think it is very much your problem. You know I could get any guy at school. Any guy."

"Whose parents are more racist and sexist than mine!" I gripped the steering wheel and pulled into the senior's parking lot at school. The lot was being infringed upon by portable classrooms as the student population grew and no one wanted to make a new school to house them. Seniors could now only park in the lot if they had passes, and they got passes if they got above a 3.5 GPA. The pass on my rearview mirror was Mia's, not mine.

I pulled into a spot and put the car in park. I turned off the engine. I looked to Mia. She sat with her arms crossed still, fuming. She refused to look at me. "Look, Mia, I don't like it anymore than you do. They won't listen to me. If Natalie came back and talked to them, they'd change their tune. Maybe. That's a big maybe. It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me," she said. "I deserve better."

"You do."

"Then do something about it," she said. She glared at me, then reached up and grabbed the pass off my rearview mirror. I scoffed and protested, but she had already left the car, and had left the car door open.

"Mia!" I shouted. She ignored me. I let out a string of curses, then reached over and shut the door. I turned the car on again and drove off the lot, forced to find a spot on the side of the road with the juniors and other seniors who, like me, weren't that great at school.

Whatever.


	2. Wine Country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note that chapters alternate between Liam and Julian's POV.

"I could think of a million things I'd rather do more," I said. I lay on the chaise, my head dangling off so that I looked at my parents upside down.

Father ignored me. He was good at that. "It says here that you are accepted, and that you are this cohort's Chosen One," he said. "That is a pretty big deal, Julian."

I sneered.

"Your father was his school's Chosen One," Mother said. Her boreal eyes glared at me, as if this was some sort of great honor. "And he was only a first year at that time." She turned to Father and smiled at him. He smiled back. I rolled my eyes.

"I change my mind. There is literally everything else in the known universe I'd rather do," I replied. I crossed my ankles on the chaise back, and intertwined my fingers. "The Chosen One at Temecula Valley never survives their trials."

"Ah, nonsense," Father waved his hand and let my acceptance papers fall to the study table. We were all convened there, surrounded by books, some older than our bloodline. And by all of us, I meant more than just Mother, Father, and I. My sister, Brioni, stood off towards the study's huge desk, pretending to be bored with the whole situation. She met my eyes then looked away to inspect her obsidian manicure. "You come from a strong line of Chosen Ones, Julian. There is no way a simple curse could do you in."

"You only say that because Brioni's curses never worked on me."

Brioni scoffed and turned her pointy face towards me, finally. Her flow of magenta and black hair ebbed behind her movements as if she existed without gravity. It wasn't a unique effect. Mine did the same, as did Mother's. Or it would, if Mother didn't have hers tied up in a confusing maze of braids and knots. "They weren't even real curses, Julian."

"You made my Beyblades attack me."

"Because they were fucking annoying."

"I still have the scars." I didn't. Except for one, across my chest, because it looked cool.

"Just admit you're a coward," she retorted. "A spoiled little brat who wants to go to a Normal school and do something boring like psychology or political science."

"What's wrong with political science?"

"Enough, children," Mother said. She always acted as if she were our governess or tutor or something, and not our mother. She even dressed like one. All high necks and long sleeves, with her nose too far up in the air for her to actually smell anything useful. She gave one clap of her hands for effect. I tried not to laugh. "Julian, you haven't received papers from any other place. And it would be good for you to go. The school is in America. You've always wanted to see America."

I rolled off the chaise, onto my feet. I didn't even have to straighten my clothes. Brioni always likened me to a cat, always landing on my feet, and too graceful for my own good. The blue of my hair momentarily got into my eyes, but an overly pronounced flick of my head had it flowing away. "Yes, I have always wanted to go to America. As a tourist, not as a condemned. Besides, I heard their Magic culture is shit. They're all logic and reason, until you actually need to apply it."

"That is not true," Mother argued.

"Oh, really? What of the pandemic then?"

"That was a fluke."

I opened my mouth to list off all the times in history that America did its best to shirk its own ideals, but Father cut me to the chase. "Temecula Valley has a great reputation. Besides, it is in wine country. Some of the finest country for Southern California."

"Oh, California," I rolled my eyes again. "Father, you can't even drink in California until you are twenty one."

"That won't stop you," Brioni said.

"Shut it, Brioni."

"Make me."

I turned towards her, my wand at the ready. Mother only sighed and flicked her wrist. My wand went flying out of my hand and into hers. She pocketed it and motioned for me to pay attention to my father.

"Julian, if you wish to go to a different school, then I expect to see acceptance letters from them."

"If you had taken your exams more seriously," Mother chimed in. "Perhaps you wouldn't be on the waitlist for Chottham or Strewsbury or even Oslo, of all places."

Even Brioni wrinkled her nose at Oslo.

"Or even London," Father said, motioning to Brioni. Brioni perked up at the mentioning of London. She had gotten in before her last year even finished. They were so eager to have her, they funded her whole stay, as if she needed it. Mother and Father were unspeakably rich. "You have a whole term to get it together, Julian. Its time to start thinking seriously."

"Then send me to Oxford."

"You aren't smart enough for Oxford," Brioni said. "Or Cambridge, before you go there. Or Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, or any other American school you're going to list."

I scowled. "You haven't the faintest idea of how cunning I am."

"Then how come you haven't thought your way out of this? Or were you hoping that the thing with Owen was going to be forever, and you'd just follow him to wherever he was going?" Brioni sneered. "You're so predictable. And juvenile."

"Has London cast you as its resident evil witch yet?"

"Children!" Mother said it so that she pronounced each syllable separately. "You are both acting like infants! Can you not spend one moment of time in each other's presences without resorting to such puerile behavior?"

"She started it," I muttered. And she had. Our feud had started mere days after I had been born, when Brioni had set her first curse upon me. She had only been four years old, but everyone was strong with magic in this family. Stupidly strong, including myself. And even for a child who didn't know what she was doing, curses were not to be toyed with. She cursed my nappies to explode if I urinated in them. Mother had to switch to cheap disposable nappies, much to her embarrassment, until they got a child cursologist to come in and reverse the curse.

I sighed and straightened. "Fine. I will give this term my best, if only to avoid the fate of being Temecula Valley's most recent dead Chosen One. On one condition."

Father rolled his eyes and looked like he was about to blow his temper. His knuckles rapped the table absently as he tried his best not to flail his arms. "What is that?"

"That if I get into a Normal school, and no other magic school accepts me, I'm allowed to go to the Normal school."

"Hybrid."

"Temecula Valley _is_ a hybrid school."

"I think that is a good compromise, Ainsley, don't you think?" Mother looked to Father with a sweet smile. She looked like a nice Brioni. Where Brioni was all points and sharpness, Mother was softness. She wasn't to be underestimated, though. She could inflict a curse just as painful as Brioni, and could have as sharp a tongue when needed. It was a rare occurrence, though.

"No, I don't," Father said. "But if it will get you to pay attention in school and stop acting like a spoiled tosser, then fine."

Brioni tried her best to hide her shocked amusement. Father turned on his heel and stomped out of the room. Mother gave both Brioni and I her most cordial smile before leaving as well. I huffed and sat back down on the chaise. I glared at Brioni. "Are you happy?"

"Happy? Why would I be happy?"

"I thought my unhappiness naturally made you happy."

"It does, but being dragged all the way out to Bumfuck Nowhere doesn't." Brioni hated home as much as I did. She'd rather be off with her posh friends doing posh things. Or whatever it was that London witches and wizards did.

"How's Greyson?"

Brioni waved her hand in dismissal. "Dating a vampire isn't all its cracked up to be. They're so moody and intense. Its like dating a Gemini. You don't know who they'll be from one moment to the next." She crossed her arms and leveled a smirk at me. "What happened with Owen?"

"His parents don't want him dating a magician," I said. "Or a man."

"Don't you have to have a level of maturity to be a man?"

"Don't you have to be empathetic to be considered human?" I sat back in the chaise. "If you aren't going to help me, then go back to London. I could use this time to actually devise a plan."

"Your plans always fail."

"Which is why I'd be a horrible Chosen One."

"I agree." Brioni sighed and moved over to the chaise to sit next to me. She was draped in black minimalistic designer clothing.

"Stella?" I asked.

"Please. Balmain."

I shrugged. I was similarly dressed in some designer's clothes. Black cashmere sweater. The pants, stovepipe, probably had some silk in the blend. The shoes were probably Gucci. I'd kill for some cheap jeans and a T-shirt sometimes, but I never looked like _me_ in them. "So what should I do?"

"Try to get into a better school."

"The whole point of not trying was so that I wouldn't get into any magic school."

"You're a Shadowcut."

"No one is named Shadowcut. We aren't even named Shadowcut. No one in the Normal world uses names like Shadowcut." It was true. All my official identification had Julian Smith as my name, even my passport.

"The point is, if no good magic school looks at you, the crap ones will just to have the prestige of having a Shadowcut or a Moonglow or even a Dewswillow amongst them. They'll probably put you in their school paper on the first day, and parade you around, or dedicate a park bench to your honor. You were probably nominated to be their Chosen One."

"That's not how it works." And it wasn't. Magic schools were cursed. They all were. Someone, somewhere, thought it worth their time and energy to curse schools. And Chosen Ones were the ones who were most likely to undo the curses, only for the schools just to get cursed again. It became such a tradition that it became part of school culture. There were professional cursers now, who devised curses in committees to place on schools.

Temecula Valley didn't need that at all. Its curse was ancient, and had never been broken. Racist idiots would say that Native Americans placed the curse there. It was most likely the first person to flunk out of the school, back when American schools were secret and exotic destinations for ancient witches and warlocks. Back before settlers and conquistadors ruined everything.

"Is it so bad to be a Chosen One? I would have _died_ to be a Chosen One."

"The Chosen Ones of London don't get killed, Brioni. They get to meet the Queen." And Prince Harry, before he was married. I never forgave Brioni for that one. She didn't even have to _be_ a Chosen One for that.

Brioni sighed and put her arm about my shoulders. I tolerated it, and eyed her stone manicure. I was jealous. They were permanent, and real obsidian. The only reason I had never gotten a stone manicure was because I didn't want to rip out all my nails. Not just yet. "What I am trying to say is, Julian, my dear brother, my favorite brother..."

"I'm your only brother."

"Perhaps this is the ticket you've been looking for. You can get out of England, and Europe at that, get to America, and then head off to whatever your heart desires. Go to UCLA. Or whatever else is out there."

"Mum and Dad won't pay for that."

"I will."

"You will?" I scoffed and removed her arm from my shoulder. "I doubt it."

"I mean it. I will pay for it. Go to your Normal school. Get a degree in Biology or climate change or become a social worker. Name it. Find a bloke. Dress in double denim. Eat too much cheese and watch too many superhero movies. You name it." She smirked and held out her hand as if wanting to seal a deal. "If it means you never come back here again, I will happily pay for it."

"You will pay for me to live abroad and go to a Normal school, and ensure I never want for anything, and in return you...get all this?" I motioned to the house.

"Someone has to carry on the family legacy. I'd rather it be me."

"Since when did you care?"

"The moment you were born, little brother."

I eyed her hand. "Seal it with magic. Cross your heart, hope to die, and all that."

She rolled her eyes, but her magic already had begun to spill out of her. She had no wand. She had an amulet that she had had permanently affixed over her breastbone, which was thankfully not exposed by her Balmain jacket at the moment. Her eyes glowed, her hair did that thing that mine also did when casting a spell, and magic circled up her extended arm in a swirl of magenta energy. "Cross my heart, hope to die. A Normal life for a magical one, if so chosen."

"If so chosen," I murmured.

I took her hand, and the spell took hold, binding us to the conditions of the agreement.

Or, hope to die.


	3. Lia-Mia

I tried not to laugh.

The papers for my acceptance into the magical exchange whatever it was called came in, and I had been placed not in England, not in Europe, and not even in a different country. "C'mon," said, grinning a stupid ass grin, I was sure. Mom and Dad stood at the kitchen island while I sat at the kitchen table, taking a good mess of the really overcooked stew Mom had made. Or rather, the stew she had dumped into the crockpot, and the crockpot had made. "Say it. I wanna hear it."

"Are you certain this isn't a mistake?" Dad said it to Mom in his low, barely over a whisper voice. He rarely ever talked to me. He preferred to let Mom do all the talking. "I thought it was an exchange program."

"It is an exchange program," Mom said, her fingers pushing the papers this way and that. "Maybe we didn't read it right."

"I can't believe its sending me to Temecula Valley." I dipped some of the rock hard beef into some bbq sauce. It was the only way to get it down. Temecula Valley wasn't even in a different state. It was right here in California, south of our wonderfully stuck up Santa Clarita. It was far enough away that I could avoid Mom and Dad's micromanagement style of parenting, but not so far away that I would regret it.

"Temecula Valley is a hybrid school, but," Dad frowned and picked up one of the papers. "But I thought the whole point was that he'd get to travel."

"It says he'll be paired with a student coming from England," Mom said. They did a good job of ignoring me when things didn't go their way. Dad was the best at it. I hadn't really pinned down as to why, though. I mean, sure, I wasn't like him. I looked like him. I had the same light brown hair. Same freckles. We both wore glasses, even though I only did it when reading. Maybe. Not that I didn't want to be seen as a dork or something, but kids wore glasses these days because it was ironic, and I didn't want to be seen as ironic. When I was a kid, I called myself Dad's Twin because I looked up to him.

So what if I liked sports and running and building shit? Apparently it was enough of a problem because around age nine or so, Dad suddenly found other things to be interested in, instead of his only son.

"Just admit that your attempt to get rid of me backfired," I said when they continued to mumble amongst themselves. "There's still murder, you know."

Dad looked up at that one. He wore a button down and a sweater vest. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "We are not trying to get rid of you, son."

"Oh, he talks," I muttered. I stabbed at a soggy carrot. He never called me by my name. Only, "son."

"We just want you to get out and see the world," Mom said.

"You want me to get away from Mia." I glared over at them. I turned in my seat so that I gave them my full attention. They had gotten their wish. Mia had broken up with me the day I had told her about the exchange program. I had tried to get her back, but decided to just give her some months to cool off. She hadn't dated anyone else, despite her threat. That I knew of, of course. Neither had I. But Mom and Dad didn't know that. "Or anyone like Mia."

"We have no problems with Mia," Dad said absently. He picked up another paper and studied it.

"I thought you said you broke up with Mia," Mom said.

"She broke up with me because you have a problem with Mia," I said.

"We don't have a problem with Mia," Dad said again. "She's a nice girl."

"She isn't the kind of girl you want for me, though."

"She's fine, Liam," Mom said, exasperated. "Why do you think we have a problem with her?"

"Because you do!"

"Name one time we had a problem with her."

"One time? Mom, you both have a problem with her! You make faces when she comes over! You disappear! You don't even talk to her!"

"I thought kids wanted to be left alone and all that," Dad said.

"Yeah, if their parents meddled or pulled out embarrassing baby books or told stories of how little Liam peed his pants in kindergarten," I said. I never peed my pants in kindergarten. "Or threatened their girlfriends or boyfriends with shotguns! But you just whisper and ask weird questions!"

"Would you rather we threaten her with shotguns?" Mom asked, looking confused. I didn't buy it. "We don't even own a shotgun."

"We're liberal, Liam," Dad said.

"I would like for you to have some interest in her."

"I am interested, Liam. But you both seem so private. Like you don't want us around."

"Mom, I only told you to go away that one time because you kept calling me into the kitchen to ask me questions about her. Who is this girl? Where does she come from? How long is she going to be here?"

"Valid questions."

"Mom, you acted like she was some sort of criminal."

"I just wanted to know more about her!"

"Then why didn't you ask her instead of calling me away to whisper in the kitchen? It was rude. She noticed."

"How come you didn't say anything?"

"I did!" I was getting frustrated. I didn't know how they did it, but they liked to make arguments infuriating, to the point that you don't even want to bother. "The point is, you both act a certain way around her, and she noticed it, and I couldn't stop it, so she broke up with me. You should be happy."

"We aren't happy that you are unhappy," Mom said. She looked hurt. "We just want you to be happy."

"The way you want, though," I muttered. I tossed my fork into my bowl. "I'm going upstairs."

"Don't just leave a mess for me to clean up!" Mom yelled, even as I was halfway up the stairs. "I'm not your maid!"

I slammed the door to my room, which was all I could do. There was no lock, so they could follow me up here and continue the argument. They never did, though. And I was sure they'd make up for it somehow in some sort of hidden torture. Mom would change a rule and punish me for breaking a rule I wasn't aware of, like the time she made it my chore to do all the laundry but didn't tell me. Dad would stop paying the insurance on my car or something, and I'd get pulled over and ticketed. Something. They could never just come out and say it.

I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed. I had nothing to do. It was the weekend, and without Mia, my social life was MIA. She was the one with most of the friends, or at least, they chose her over me. I don't know what she had told them, but I am sure I came off as some kind of asshole, and they avoided me like I had suddenly became anti-everything-Mia. That couldn't be further from the truth..

I looked over at the photo collage Mia had made for us last year. It sat on my dresser, in between Funko Pops and car models I had made when I was a kid. They were all Instax shots of us being goofy. Mia had a wonderful smile, and great eyebrows. I missed her.

But did I miss her or did I miss the perks of us being together? We'd dated for about two years now. We had always been together. And she had been the ticket to everything good about this town since our family had moved here. She knew all the fun things to do, and all the fun people to know, and had the money to go do those things with those people.

Mom and Dad had money, but they didn't give me any. I worked during the summers for anything I could get, and it never lasted past Christmas break anyway.

I decided I did miss her. We had a history. She knew my jokes, and I knew hers. They were all bad dad jokes, which was funny, because I never heard Dad make a pun in his life. We spent our days hiking, or going to the beach, with her rottweiler, Tank. Plus, she liked to cuddle. I told her not to tell anyone that I liked to cuddle. Hopefully she hasn't.

I sighed and got out my phone. I called her, but she didn't pick up. I then began a text message, which started as, "Hey," and then I had accidentally sent just that. Then I began the longer portion, which quickly began to form a giant block of text.

I was interrupted when the phone began to ring. Mia.

I answered it. "Hey...I didn't think you were talking to me."

"I saw you typing and I figured I might as well hear you out instead of trying to read whatever it was you were going to send me."

"Oh. Yeah. Um...look. I just wanted to say I was sorry. I was a shitty boyfriend. I should have done better."

"Whatever, Liam. You are a good boyfriend. I just can't be around someone who isn't willing to stand up for what they believe in...or for the people they care about."

"I am, Mia, I promise. I just had an argument with them right now about it. I promise, Mia. I do everything I can. I can't...I can't make them be who I want." I bit my lip and quieted a bit. "I've tried. A lot."

Mia was quiet for a bit. "I know. I'm sorry. I just get so upset. Its like they don't even try."

"I just...I don't want them to be the reason why we break up. Its a dumb reason."

"You want me to pick another reason?"

"No..."

"You're going away, Liam. It isn't right for us to try anyway."

"I'm not, actually."

"I thought they were sending you to magic school."

"Temecula Valley."

Mia laughed. It was a beautiful sound. She laughed and laughed until I heard her drop her phone, and I heard Tank come and sniff at it. Her laugh was so cute. The kind where her voice breaks a bit, and if you're lucky, she will throw a snort in there. A cute one.

She picked up her phone again and hung up. She then began a FaceTime. I saw her in her weekend clothes, which was just a giant T-shirt and some bike shorts. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun type thing in a scrunchie. Baby hairs stuck out wildly around her face. "Temecula?"

"I know, right?" I smiled. "Does...does this mean we can get back together?"

"I dunno, Liam..."

"I miss you."

Mia sighed and looked away. "I've...already started kind of dating someone else though."

"Oh." Of course she had.

"I mean, it isn't serious or anything..."

"Its alright." It wasn't. I ran my hand through my hair, like I do every time I am in a situation where suddenly I don't know what to do, or where to put my limbs. "Maybe it is for the best."

"I can break up with him."

"How convenient."

"Liam."

"Look, just...figure it out." I sighed. "Um, I gotta go. I think I hear my Dad calling me."

"Your Dad never talks to you."

"See you later, Mia." I hung up. I groaned and rolled onto my back, and let my phone drop onto the bed. That wasn't what I wanted, not at all. I rubbed my face with my hands. I wasn't a crier, but I knew that this hurt. It hurt a little more than I was expecting. When Mia had broken up with me, I had thought that we could just get back together. Mia and Liam. Lia-Mia, we called ourselves. Seemed suddenly so childish now.

I got up and changed into running clothes. Mom didn't like me running after dark, but whatever. Running was my thing, and it was the only thing I could think of that was going to keep me from bursting into tears. I couldn't decide if seeing me cry would have Mom telling me to buck up or would have her coddling me like I was five again. I didn't want to give either possibility a chance.

I hurried downstairs, ignored Mom yelling about my bowl - still - and out the front door.

Suddenly, my earlier victory seemed to lack flavor.


	4. Allen

The word had gotten out.

Somehow, the British magic rags had gotten wind that I had been accepted to an American school, and suddenly, that was all everyone was talking about. _The heir to the Shadowcut name is the Chosen One at an American school! Julian Shadowcut to destroy ancient curse! If a Shadowcut can't do it, no one can!_

At first, it was a few headlines, but then it took to Instagram, and suddenly it was everywhere. Youtubers were making videos about it, expressing their opinion on something they had absolutely no connection to. People who usually report on what Prince George or Princess Charlotte were up to were suddenly talking about me. I had thought it was a bit of a joke, and it certainly seemed that way at first - an American school, of all things, for a member of British magical aristocracy - but then it took a different turn. People began researching the school, and paying more attention to me.

Mother, Father, and Brioni lapped it up. Stories even featured them. How I came from a line of Chosen Ones. How Brioni almost made it as a Chosen One for London, but now appears to be a shoe-in for a committee of curse creators. A Netflix show came in to tape the house and talk to us about our lineage. Randos would run up to me on the street to ask me who I was wearing or what plans I had for the weekend.

I had to pretend to be excited.

I hated attention like this, although if I needed to, I could easily pretend like I didn't hate it. I grew up in this world. I'd gone to red carpets. I had friends in high places. I even toured with...well, it didn't matter. But it suddenly mattered to everyone else. It was things like this that made my privilege and position in magical society hit me in the gut.

No wonder Owen had turned tail running.

The worst thing about this sort of attention was that it basically sealed the deal that I was going to go to Temecula Valley now. No other magical school was going to dare get in the way of me making history at a school whose curse had never been broken. And Father would never hear of me considering a Normal school now that so much attention had been cast onto the Shadowcut family.

He reveled in the attention. He loved being able to answer the questions about his time as a Chosen One, and how happy he was that his son was following in his footsteps. He bragged about me, which was disgusting, and I couldn't argue with him, not in front of the cameras. A man who had never been proud of his son his whole life suddenly loved everything I said and did.

And today, while we were taping for some obscure Youtube show or another, he let slip that I was single.

"He was dating a Normal for a while," Father said. He couldn't see my eyes widening. Slightly.

_Owen, please, don't be watching, please don't..._

The host only laughed. She was a Normal too, and I guess it was part of her training not to take what magical people said as personal. She shifted the microphone to me. "How was that, Julian? Or are you still together?"

"We are not," I said, slowly. Hopefully she'd get the hint that I really didn't want to talk about it.

She didn't.

Neither did my father.

"He's single now," Father said. "Ready for a fresh start in Temecula Valley. I know its a hybrid school, but hopefully he will find a nice witch to settle down with."

He and the host laughed. I cringed.

"Not the settling down type, are we?" the host asked.

"Not the witch type," I replied.

"Or a sorceress. Someone who can meet his power and skill," Father said. "Someone worthy of the Shadowcut name."

I decided that if I was going to be stuck in this position, I'd have fun with it. "More like the wizard or warlock type," I said. "Although I don't mind being the more powerful of the pair." I leaned forward and put my chin on my hand for effect. "Top. Bottom. I'm not competitive."

I could feel Father's magic bristling.

"Oh, I see," the host said, giving a giggle. "Can you tell us a bit about your last relationship, then?"

"Just that I was sad to see it end," I said, sitting back again. "He was a good man. Too good for me."

Father stuttered in that horribly British way, and changed the subject. "And when Julian gets to Temecula - did you know that it means mist and sun? - he will have no problem tackling this so called curse. If you keep tossing Americans at the curse, you aren't going to have a broken curse, are you? The families there are splintered, only a few hundred years old in magical lineage. What they need is some good, old fashioned magic..."

I drowned out the rest of the interview with nonsense in my head. It was easy to look like I was participating when I was not.

It was easy to pretend that you hadn't been gutted on television.

You just needed the proper training.

...

Owen called later that night.

I looked down at my mobile and saw his picture, and sighed. He was the perfect British boy. Harry Styles mixed with Prince Harry. He even had a nose stud. Beautiful.

I almost let it ring to the last ring, then picked it up. I sent it to speaker. "I guess you saw that interview. I tried to get them to not talk about you."

"I saw," he said. "I appreciate that." He paused. "Your father is relentless."

"I guess that's what your dad and mine have in common," I said. "Raging homophobes."

"Julian."

"Right. Um, look. The press is going to keep asking me about you. I will have to give them tidbits here and there. Just tell me what I can and cannot say. I won't cross it, I promise."

"I don't care if you talk about me, Julian. I care more that you're being forced to go to America, of all places."

"I like America." I did. I knew more about it than was probably healthy. "They're amusing."

"I know you didn't want to go to a magic school."

"Ah, yeah, but there's nothing I can do about that right now, is there?" I sighed and sat on the chair to my desk. My room was huge. I had a huge four poster bed, with a magic canopy. When you drew it shut, it would show nighttime scenes from around the world, if you wanted. You could make it go invisible, too. Or opaque. I had my own huge desk with my old fencing foils mounted over it, pirate sword style, and bookcases full of old books. In the corner, my collection of high priced guitars. I even had one of George Harrison's. "I have a plan, though."

"Of course you do."

"I need a plan, Owen. That school is going to kill me. It kills all its Chosen Ones. Like hell am I going to die in bloody Riverside county."

Owen laughed. He had a nice laugh. It was soothing. I missed it.

"Maybe," I said. "Maybe I can come over for a bit. Before I am due to go."

"Julian..."

"I miss you, Owen."

"I miss you too, Julian, but it isn't right."

"Don't tell me you buy into your dad's bullshit."

"No, but I can see now that we're two different people, Julian. You're this magic wizard...Posh Spice sort of chap..."

"I am _not_." I knew I was rich, but I wasn't the Victoria Beckham, cheap sort of rich.

"And I'm just a Normal. Besides...I'm dating someone else."

I was silent for a moment. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. His name is Allen."

"Owen and Allen."

"He's a nice guy."

"He isn't a chav, is he?"

Owen scoffed. "How dare you."

I smiled despite myself. "Does he treat you better than me?"

Owen was quiet now. "Yeah."

"Good," I said. "You deserve to be treated better."

"That doesn't mean I don't care about you, Julian. You look like you're being tortured on these shows."

"I am being tortured." I was being tortured right then, too. Thinking of some boy named Allen, chavvy or not, kissing Owen. _My_ Owen.

"What are your plans, then?"

"To get to Temecula Valley, then disappear to a Normal school. Brioni is going to pay."

"Brioni? The same Brioni who cursed your hair flat for a year?"

"Same. We sealed it. With magic. I would go off to a Normal school and be a Normal, and I would never come back to claim my right as a Shadowcut, and she would pay for my school and living expenses."

"You made a deal with the devil, Jules."

"I had no other choice. Besides, I thought by now another school would have picked me up."

"Not even a Normal one?"

"Not a one." I sighed and rubbed my brow. "At least California isn't backwards. Or it shouldn't be."

"You know anything about this curse?"

"Uh...what?" My mind was still wandering to California. Sun. Palm trees. Neighborhoods full of gay men, free to be who they wanted, without worrying about backlash.

"The school's curse?"

"It is ancient, it has never been broken, and it kills every Chosen One in their freshman year."

"I'd start researching this curse, Jules. Find out what the other Chosen Ones did and do the opposite."

"I'm not going to be staying at Temecula Valley, Owen."

"You made a deal with your sister, the wickedest witch this side of the Thames, and it hinges on you not being magical," Owen laughed. It was mirthless. The kind of laugh one laughs when they're scared of something...or for someone. "You're the most magical magician I have ever met."

"Met many magicians, have you?"

"A few."

"I'm not so different."

"Jules, your hair _floats_ because you have so much magic. It is blue because of your magic. Most blokes have to bleach their hair to the breaking point just to be able to dye it your shade. And you move too magically not to be magic."

"What's that mean?" I resisted the urge to make a dirty joke.

"You're like a cat," he said. "A panther. A shadow, or something. Sometimes...people don't know you're there until you're _there_ , you know? Deadly quiet and quick." He paused. "You sure you're not part vampire?"

"You either are a vampire or are not a vampire," I said. "You cannot be part vampire."

"Right. You would know, being magical and all."

I thought. "You never saw me as normal, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could have dressed normal and talked normal, eaten normal things and be interested in normal stuff, but I was still...different to you, wasn't I?"

"Well, yeah, Julian. You _are_ different. You're a magician."

"Is Allen Normal?"

Owen was quiet. "Yeah, he is."

"Yeah." I shook my head to myself, and considered hanging up on Owen. I didn't. I must've been too quiet, though, because Owen was calling out for me.

"You there, Jules? Julian...look...I didn't mean anything by it. I promise. Its just...you can't _be_ Normal. Even if you tried. That isn't _bad_. Julian? Jules!"

"Hey, um," I tried to think of something to say. "I gotta go, okay? I'll do my best to keep your name out of my mouth."

"Julian..."

"Say hi to Allen for me, yeah? Take care of him. Normals don't always land on their feet, I hear. And if I remember correctly, I wasn't the only one getting us into trouble."

"Julian, wait, please..."

I hung up.

I set the phone calmly on the desk, and reclined calmly in the desk chair. My options were growing slimmer by the day, not that Owen was an option. I wasn't one to come begging someone back, but I loved Owen in the time we had together. He was my first, and my only, and for everything. First kiss. First love. First time being happy, and first time feeling normal.

I guess that wasn't true, though. Maybe I felt normal, but I was never a Normal.

I wondered if Owen was drawn to me because of magic, now, or what it was. I didn't like to date people who just wanted to see what dating a magician was like. Owen seemed different. He seemed like he wanted normalcy. We did normal things together. We went to the cinema. We walked in the park. Took road trips to Wales. Counted sheep along the motorways.

Snogged and held hands and did naughty things when we thought no one was looking.

I couldn't remember any time I had cast a spell in his presence.

Oh wait, one time.

We had been hanging out with a crowd of idiots, the ones who liked to jump off things and stand too close to the edges of buildings and film it. I didn't know any of those people, but Owen did. Friends from school, he said. He liked to do some of the stuff they did, but this was the first time he'd stood on the edge of a building.

He'd lost his balance.

I had magicked him away from falling. Just caught him with magic. It was like instinct, and didn't even need a spell. Owen had told me I had looked like a spit of blue fire in human form, and he was so distracted by it, he'd forgotten that he was suspended over nothingness in the heart of London, one sprite or two of magic away from becoming one with the pavement below.

I'd brought him back onto the roof with me, and had clung to him until the magic had dissipated. We'd left shortly after, as suddenly everyone wanted to see me do magic, or throw them out over the edge of the roof and catch them. I had no time for it all. I had been scared. Owen had been thrilled.

I sat up. "Shit." I dialed Owen again, but he didn't pick up.

"Owen, listen. I just realized. Some of your git friends might've taped me on the roof that day. If they put it on the web, the press is going to know who you are. Just...call me when you can."

I hung up.

Well. Maybe going away wouldn't be the worst thing. Owen's now vague reasons for breaking up with me aside, I wouldn't be there to save him when the world of magic got all too real for him.

I wouldn't be there to save him at all.

Maybe it was better this way.

After all, I was no one's Chosen One.

Right?


	5. The Magical World of Julian

"This is the school you're going to, right?"

Mia's phone got shoved into my face. I was sitting in the quad, doomscrolling, and listening to...whatever it was that Dua Lipa was crooning. I looked up at her. She stood there, smiling, with a contoured make-up job that matched the color of a new Rebecca Minkoff backpack. She was wearing a dress. I didn't even know she had dresses.

I looked at the phone, which was cased in a new confetti pink case with charms and held with newly manicured fingernails. I took out my earphones.

Her phone showed a headline for some British gossip column with a picture of a guy I didn't know who looked like he was made out of Versace or Valentino or whatever people in England wore. The headline read, "Temecula Valley's Newest Chosen One: Is Julian Shadowcut Up For the Challenge of the Unbreakable Curse?"

"Yeah," I said, taking the phone. "Who the hell is that?" The guy was all sorts of pretentious. An angular model's face. Hair that was...doing something, and dyed to shine blue in the light. His eyes were dark, maybe grey, I dunno.

"Someone named Julian Shadowcut."

"I think I played as Julian Shadowcut in World of Warcraft once."

Mia giggled. We were trying our best to be friends, especially since the thing with the guy she had told me about on the phone was more than a thing and the guy's name was Aaron. He was on the basketball team, and had a scholarship to UC Irvine. "It says he's the Chosen One of that school."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Apparently all the magic schools are, like, cursed, and the Chosen One is the one who gets rid of the curse. Except Temecula Valley's curse has never been broken, and the Chosen One always dies."

"Sucks to be him," I said.

Mia sat down on the planter's edge that I was perched on, and looked at her phone. "I dunno, I think he's kinda cute. Don't you think so?"

"I...guess?" I frowned. "I'm not the friend to ask, Mia."

"Do you think you'll meet him?"

"I don't know. I'm still trying to get out of going." It was true. I had been gathering all sorts of brochures and pamphlets to other schools and decorating the house with them. Welding school. Electrician school. Apprenticeship with local unions. Mechanic's shops. I even grabbed stuff for engineering.

"If you meet him, can I come and meet him?"

"Won't you be in Irvine with Aaron?"

"Its only an hour from Temecula."

"Won't Aaron get jealous?"

"Aaron's not like that."

"Does Aaron know you're dating him? It doesn't seem like you both know each other. Or have any idea what each other is doing. Or wants."

"Do you know what Aaron wants?"

"As a guy, I can tell you, Aaron probably would at least like to know that you have plans to go with your ex-boyfriend to meet some _posh wanker_ or whatever they call them at a magic school."

"Don't try to have an accent, you sound ridiculous."

"Don't try to make me the kind of friend who is going to go along with you on these stupid ideas."

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"This, Mia. I'm not your best gay friend. I'm not your best friend. I know we're trying to _be_ friends, but it still hurts," I frowned and looked away. "Did you pull this shit when I was dating you?"

"What? No."

"Then why are you doing it now? Because the reins are loose?"

"Maybe Aaron is more secure and doesn't mind that his girlfriend indulges herself in fun now and again."

"Right, and if he went to go eat sushi off the stomach of some witch exchange student from Irvine, you'd have no problem with it?"

"What does sushi have to do with anything?"

"Look, Mia, it's only for one semester. Then, I'm gone. I'm not going to get you in to meet magic celebrities. If you want to meet someone famous, go hang out in Los Feliz or something."

"You're just jealous, aren't you?"

"Jealous of what? Aaron?" I stood up. "Maybe a little. I don't like how things ended. It kinda feels like you were looking for a way to get rid of me. I mean, you know I can't do anything about my parents. Not yet anyway, but you made that the reason why you dumped me. And then, all of a sudden, you're dating someone else, and acting like this? Its like I don't even know you. So much for Lia-Mia."

"We're a little too old for Lia-Mia."

"I wasn't," I said. I shrugged and walked away. Mia didn't bother calling out for me. She wouldn't anyway. It was beyond her when she was Minimalistic Mia, and who knows if it suited whatever Mia this Aaron wanted.

...

I decided that the thing I missed most about Mia was her stupid lot pass. I hated having to park out from the school. The street was paved, but there were no curbs past a certain point, and the road circled towards an underpass where people liked to smoke and sell weed. I didn't care what they did, but I just didn't want any. Everyday they asked like they'd never seen you before.

"What is this, an MLM?" I asked as I unlocked the door to my Corolla. I shoved myself between the door and the frame so no one could see the duct tape holding the center console together.

"Doesn't that mean 'man loves man'?" One of them said.

"It means multi level marketing," another said. "A pyramid scheme. My mom's in one. She sells those little necklaces with jewels inside? You get more money the more people you have under you."

"Oh."

I just shook my head and ducked into my car. It started instantly - thank God, as it had been having trouble lately - and I drove away from school. There was no track practice that day, so I headed to the gym and ran it out on one of the treadmills. I tried not to think of Mia and Aaron, or of Julius Salisbury or whatever his name was. The magic celebrity. Leave it to magicians to have celebrities amongst them. Congratulations on being born able to do magic! Let's all pat each other on the back for it.

Now that my mind was on him and Temecula Valley and all this magic business, I pulled up his name on Youtube, which corrected Julius Salisbury to Julian Shadowcut for me. The list of videos was nearly endless. I picked the most recent one. He was coming out of some fancy restaurant, and I realized instantly that the weird thing his hair was doing in the photo on Mia's phone wasn't just a bad hair day. His hair _moved_ on its own, like he was swimming through viscous water. It seemed to be black, but did shimmer blue in the light. He was wearing a fancy black suit with a grey shirt that was without a necktie and unbuttoned at the first few buttons.

He lit a cigarette and greeted the Youtubers. His voice was calm and dark, but you could tell he was annoyed. "How can I help you guys this evening?"

"Is it true you're leaving for California soon, Julian?"

"Yes, and not soon enough. If you'll excuse me," he gave a polite bow and turned to go. The Youtubers kept up with him.

"What are you looking forward to most at your new school?"

"Not being followed around by teens with iPhones."

"Do you think Owen will miss you?"

"No comment." Julian went up to a valet and handed the valet a ticket, then some bills. "Make it quick, and there's more of that." The valet ran off.

I realized that the Youtuber was a set of people, as another voice piped up. "Do you think you'll meet someone new there? A new boyfriend? Or a new girlfriend perhaps?"

"Its California. There are tons of potential new girlfriends and boyfriends there."

"Do you think Owen will be jealous? If you meet someone, that is?"

"Look, I'll give you until the valet comes back with my car, alright? Just keep Owen's name out of your mouth. Agreed?"

"Sure, sure!"

"Well, c'mon. They didn't park my car that far."

"What do you look for in a potential partner?" The first Youtuber asked.

"Someone who is grounded, smart, and likes to have fun."

"Are you going to take them to Disneyland?" The second and possibly younger of the two Youtubers asked this.

Julian smiled. He had a nice smile, I guess, for a guy. He dug his hands into his pockets, parting his suit jacket along the way. "Sure, why not."

"What ride are you going to take them on?"

"What do you recommend?"

"Space Mountain!" said the first Youtuber. "No, take them on the teacups!" Said the second.

"You want me to take a date on rides and get motion sickness then?" Julian laughed. It was a genuine laugh. What started as an annoying interview had opened up something in him. But the valet had returned now with a sleek, dark car. "Sorry, kids, time's up." He disappeared into the car after handing the valet even more money, and the car drove away. The camera followed the car until it made a turn, and then the Youtuber's faces were visible. Two high school kids.

"You heard it here first!" the oldest one said. "Julian Shadowcut is open to finding new love in California! If the curse doesn't do him in first!"

"And he's going to take them to Disneyland!" the second said.

I paused the video. Cute kids.

I hadn't been to Disneyland since I was a kid, and I didn't remember most of it. I had heard a lot had changed since then, but Disneyland was Disneyland. High priced, full of annoying mascots in costumes, and old rides from back with Uncle Walt himself was still alive. But someone like Julian might think it novel.

He was a magician. Surely the magic of Disney was nothing compared to what he could do.

I scrolled through a few videos, but they all seemed to be the same thing. What was Julian going to do about the curse? Who was Julian dating now? What designer was Julian into today? (It was Hermes.) Blah blah blah. Mundane crap no one really cared about. I kept scrolling until I found what seemed to be the only video of Julian performing magic.

It was obviously taken from a phone, and it seemed to be of a bunch of teens standing on top of a really tall building. They were all talking fast and in accents I couldn't follow. I could pick out Julian in the crowd...even though he was wearing a blach T-shirt and dark jeans, you could tell it was him. He was standing with another guy, and had his arm over his shoulder. But the focus of the video wasn't them, it was the teens doing stupid shit on the ledge of the roof.

They were doing backflips and handstands, riding skateboards and doing jumps. Some would drop down from the ledge, their hands holding them on, and then catapulted back up with their parkour powers. Most of them were doing their tricks while holding their own phones or with selfie sticks. Even the girls were doing it, and I thought they were supposed to be sensible. At least, that's what our health class teacher said. _Half the boys in this room won't make it to their middle ages._ Blah blah.

The clips kept cutting to this or that, and then I recognized the boy that had been standing next to Julian. He stood on the ledge and seemed unsure of it. He wore a white puffer jacket, and had his hair in a French crop fade. He wore nice jeans, nice sneakers. Someone dared him to do a jump. He tried.

He fell.

The kid fell off the side of the building. His silhouette had barely cleared the edge of the building when _things happened_.

Something akin to static hit the phone, and when it cleared, or mostly cleared, you could see the kid who had fallen. But he was hovering in the air, swarmed with blue haze. The camera turned to Julian, who was consumed in blue. His eyes were white. He looked like the hot flame you saw when you first turned on a gas burner. Julian did something with his hands. He pulled, and the kid hovering in midair pulled back towards the roof. The blue disappeared in a swirl of graceful smoke, and the kid fell to the gravel of the roof.

Whoever was holding the camera, and most of the other kids on the roof, swarmed Julian and the other kid. I could hear the other kid yelling. "Leave him alone! Stop it, fucking stop recording!" A hand came down over the camera. The clip ended.

Some text came up saying that the video had been taken a year or so ago, and that it had never been posted before. It had over a million views. One of the comments, the top comment, actually, told the poster to take it down. The person's name was Owen, and the person's picture showed the kid that had almost died, if it were not for Julian.

 _Impressive_ , I thought. I didn't hear Julian cast a spell or anything, and I hadn't seen a wand in his hand either. He must truly be powerful then. I thought that magicians needed wands or stones or amulets or something. Julian rescued that kid without doing anything.

And Owen, that was the name that Julian hadn't wanted the Youtubers to discuss. I found myself going from a run to a walk so that I could view the other videos. A lot of speculation was going around about Julian and Owen. Why did they break up? Were they getting back together? Who was this other person Owen was seen with? Would Owen be going with Julian to California?

"Jeez, give them a break," I muttered to myself. I frowned and looked about. People were near me at the gym, but everyone had their headphones on. I realized I was going down a rabbit hole regarding Julian and his affairs, and shut the app down. I got off the treadmill and headed to the showers.

I couldn't help thinking, though, if Julian was that powerful, and he was headed to Temecula Valley, what was that school going to do with someone as non-magical as _me?_


	6. Los Angeles International Airport

Whoever designed this place was fucking mad.

Owen had suggested that I mail my luggage to the United States so that it didn't end up lost, but I had a feeling this was more so that I could avoid baggage claim more than anything. The herd of people were shuffled from the terminal down into the baggage claim area, where they crowded the carousels to try to find out which black bag was their black bag. I'd packed a blue bag set, but wouldn't you know it, the next most popular color for luggage was blue.

I stood there, feeling like an idiot, in my hat and sunglasses, trying not to look like a celebrity trying not to get recognized. I had worn the most casual thing I owned, which was a black tee and black jeans, with black low profile Ferragamos. I'd topped it with a Bottega Veneta bomber, and felt like some sort of criminal looking for another house to case. I didn't know how keen the Los Angeles paparazzi would be to talk to me, being that magic culture wasn't as big a deal as it was in Europe, but I was tired of answering questions.

Finally I saw my bags come down the chute, and grabbed them up. The only place for me to go was out into the outside world, where there was a lane of traffic that separated the people getting out of the airport from their pickup stations. Father had insisted on a black car to pick me up. I ignored the car and headed to one of the shuttle stations, and narrowly missed being run over by a minivan that wasn't so mini. I'd booked a shuttle in secret, and stood there waiting for one to come back around. It was sunny, and hot, despite it being early August, so I took off my jacket and hat. My hair was tied back so it didn't do its thing. I looked like everyone else, I hoped. I even tied my jacket around my waist and lit up a cigarette.

Soon a red shuttle van pulled up. The driver - a gal named Teresa - told me to put out my cigarette, then checked my booking print-out and then helped me get my luggage in. We waited there for a bit for more people, but no one seemed to be going our way. We circled the airport a few times until she was satisfied that no one else was going to get in, and we took off. "Temecula, huh," she said. "Usually if you're going that far, you have family pick you up."

"I'm not exactly from around here," I said.

"Oh, a British guy. Girls all love that accent around here."

"Too bad for them," I said.

"The boys do too."

"Great."

I sat silently and tried to figure out my new American phone while I waited. I hadn't realized how long the drive would be, as an hour ticked by. I looked out the windows, but all I saw were boring buildings and palm trees. The sky was blue, with a twinge of smog, and held no clouds. "I guess what they say is true."

"What's that?"

"It doesn't rain in California?"

"It does, but when it does, all the rich people's houses slide down the hills and there's flash floods. And then people forget how to drive."

"They don't seem to know how to do that on the best of days," I muttered.

'What's that?"

"Your driving, is, of course, splendid."

"You willing to put that on a Yelp review?"

I smirked. "Maybe."

"Hey," she met my eyes through the rearview mirror. "What's up with your hair?"

"A new dye job. All the rage in London."

"Hmm. That's all we need is a new hair craze. My son's hair costs enough as it is." The driver went off about her son and his hair for a while, and I ignored her to gaze boredly at my phone some more. I dared to check Instagram. So far, no shots of me getting out of the airport and climbing into the shuttle. Maybe I really did have them all fooled. Or maybe, they really didn't care. I hoped it was the latter.

It was an hour later that we ended up where we were supposed to be, I guess. I wanted to say the place looked like a mansion, but the truth was, nearly everything in the area looked like a mansion. The only thing that seemed to divide the school, if that's where we were, was the feeling of magic coming from the stucco and stone building that was behind the gates, and behind the huge green lawn, and behind the rows of flowers that led up the drive.

"This place gives me the heeby jeebies," the driver said. She pulled up to the gate and looked for an intercom. "How am I supposed to get you in there if there's no intercom?"

"Try 'Open Sesame,'" I said. I pointed my wand at the gates.

The driver looked out the window, at nowhere in particular and said, "Uh, open sesame?"

I whispered the spell, and the gates opened.

"Hold on a minute," she said, casting me a glance over her shoulder. "Is this one of those magical schools?"

"It is, I'm afraid."

"You better have a big tip for me, boy, because I don't like going to magical schools."

"That makes two of us."

"What's that?"

"Just...take me as far as you can. At some point, they probably won't let you drive any further, to keep people who can't do magic out."

"I never said I can't do magic," the driver said, seemingly affronted. "I just said I don't like magic schools. They make you wear uniforms. Scratchy ones."

I laughed. The driver was able to pull us up all the way to the front courtyard, where she pulled my luggage out onto the paving stones and waited for me to get out. I did so, lit up a cigarette, and put a wad of cash in her hands.

"This isn't even American money!" she complained as she got back into the shuttle.

"Sorry!" I shouted. But she was already driving away. I waited for someone to come out the front doors of the school, but there was no one in sight. Sighing, I spelled the doors open and grabbed my own bags.

Inside was unremarkable. It looked like a hotel lobby, complete with a large bouquet of flowers on a round center table and a counter with someone working behind it. I took off my glasses and freed my hair from its holder, and went over to the person. "Hi...uh, Julian Shadowcut, checking in, I guess?"

"You're a day early," the man? Serpent? Something? Said. He looked at me through large yellow eyes. His skin looked scaly, and not in a pretty way. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Welcome to Temecula Valley. Orientation is tomorrow at 10 am. Since you are here early and I am assuming you don't have a hotel, I suppose I can show you to the dorms."

"How very kind of you." I smiled. He didn't smile back. He looked down to his computer or whatever and began typing.

"It seems that your roommate has not yet checked in. You have been placed as part of the Magical Exchange Student program, so you will serve as a magical mentor to your roommate, who is a Normal."

I scoffed. "What?"

"You should have received information on this already."

"Well, let's pretend I didn't. Can you...tell me what that means?"

"It means you are to be a part of a program that introduces Normal students interested in the world of magic to the world of magic. You will be a cultural liaison, as he will be to you for Normal culture, specifically, Normal culture of California. It seems the Normals have all sorts of cultures," he widened his eyes at that, and not because he seemed interested. "Oh. You're the Chosen One." He looked at me. "One moment."

The droll creature shuffled out of sight, behind a door that was behind the counter. I sighed. I looked about in my boredom. The place seemed mundane enough, too mundane for curses. A back door led out to the campus, I supposed. There were a few seats in the lobby, and elevators going up, to offices perhaps. The place smelled like a cheap hotel. Or dentist's office. Or a nondescript office park. But I felt magic everywhere.

The lizard man came back with a rather normal looking woman in tow, that is, a normal looking woman who gave off magic like it was designer perfume. She wore clothes you'd see on television commercial mothers, you know, with a tank and cardigan, some leggings and flats. The only magical thing about her appearance was her eyes that were so blue they were almost white. She came up to me with a folder in hand, and her other hand extended in greeting. "Hi, I'm Deandrea, Temecula Valley's Chosen One counselor!" She smiled a winning, cheerleader's smile. I took her hand. "We're so pleased to meet you, Mr. Shadowcut."

"Lizard boy doesn't seem too pleased," I said, shaking her hand.

"My name isn't Lizard Boy," Lizard Boy said. "It is William. William Andrews."

"Sure thing, Billy Andy."

Lizard Boy rolled his eyes and continued typing at his counter.

Deandrea didn't seem at all perturbed by the exchange. "I'll show you to your dorm. I am so glad you decided to get here early! There's so much we need to discuss."

"Like insurance policies, non-indemnification clauses?"

"No!" She laughed as if I had said the most hilarious thing ever. "Although, yes, we will be going over those. More like what you can expect from Temecula Valley as our current Chosen One, but also what to expect as part of the Magical Exchange program."

"Why did you let me be signed up for that program if I'm, you know, not supposed to outlive the term?"

"It was your father's request, actually. He wanted you to get engaged with the spirit of Temecula Valley!"

"I'm sure he did."

"Do you play any sports?"

"Like football?"

"Well, yes, but also, we have a variety of sports here at Temecula Valley. Swimming, wrestling, basketball, softball, as well as the magical sports."

"I meant soccer."

"Oh, yes, of course, you're from England, the good ol' Uk!" She laughed. "I forgot. Soccer is football, jumpers are sweaters, trainers are sneakers, and pasties are Hot Pockets."

"What is a Hot Pocket?"

"We do have a soccer team here, but its not as popular as the other sports."

"It's popular in England."

"You are welcome to try out, of course!"

"Do they make you act extra cheerful because I'm doomed to die?"

Deandrea giggled. "All of us who work here at Temecula Valley are trained to be especially cheerful. Students enjoy a staff who is welcoming, helpful, and of course, cheerful!"

"Of course."

She led me out through the back doors to reveal the campus proper, which was completely not what I was expecting. While the exterior from the drive, and the lobby, was mundane, the campus was suddenly and in-your-face anything but. The ancient castle that was to be most magical schools was, of course, there, with towering spires and parapets that reminded me of the drawings I'd seen of Alton Towers before roller coasters had taken over. The commons were green and beautiful, and huge. There were parts of the campus separated into seasons, and there was even a beach with a volley net and waves. "Amazing, isn't it? Temecula Valley, like all California magic schools, has its own private beach and weather system, and we also host a magical menagerie with magical animals such as dragons, wyverns, and, of course, resurrected dinosaurs. No other California campus has a proper Tyrannosaurus Rex."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Of course not! We do have our own bird mail system, but we also employ old school pneumatic tubes. We do have an all indoors campus, and we are the only California campus with a floating satellite." She pointed up to a bit of building high up in the sky, perched upon clouds. "Of course, no one can see this from the road. That's the first question I usually get asked."

"Naturally." I tried not to sound like I was in awe of the cloud castle, because I was.

"Now, your dorms are over there," she pointed to a building to the right that was newer than the ancient castle, and appeared to look more like Normal's school's dorms. It matched the beige stucco of the lobby building. "We have a fully hybrid campus, where Normals can study alongside magicians and magical types to learn more about our culture. You will be rooming with one of our selected Normals this year, a Mr. Liam Hernandez. He is local to California, so you will be able to get the full California experience as well."

"I can't have my own dorm?"

"No one here has their own dorm, I'm sorry."

"I heard the Chosen Ones get their own dorms. For safety." Not my safety, but other's safety.

"That is usually the case, but due to overcrowding, we have had to use the traditional Chosen One's dorms for other students this year, I'm afraid."

"Grand." I motioned for her to show me the way. She led me down a few paths, one of which led me through the winter weather spot. I tried to hurriedly put on my jacket, but by the time I did, we were out of it, and I took my jacket off again.

"You'll get used to it," she said.

"Do you have a map of this place?"

"No, but we do have Wayfinders. You will get yours issued to you at orientation tomorrow."

"Where's orientation?"

"In the commons! You can't miss it!"

Something told me I was going to get horribly lost trying to find it.

We made it to the dormitories, and she led me up an elevator to the top floor, the third floor. There, she handed me a keycard. I eyed it, then her. "We would go with magical wards, but since Normals can't use them, it wouldn't be prudent." She showed me to a set of doors. "Here are your rooms! Go on!"

I awkwardly put in the keycard, then pulled it out, and the door buzzed green. I pushed it open to reveal a rather nice living area, with a mini kitchen (it really just had a mini fridge and a microwave, plus a small sink) and television. Two desks with computers waited on either side of the room. A door waited to the side, which was open, showing a room with two large beds.

"Normals are often without much money, so we give them a place to make their own food if they opt out of the food programs," Deandrea said. "And unfortunately, since some of them may have allergies, we have a no pet policy in this building, magical or otherwise."

"Can't he just get some Claritin or something?"

Deandrea laughed and waved me off as if I had just said a joke. She went to the coffee table that sat aside some couches and set down the folder she was carrying. "Now, about your status as the Chosen One. We do have some life insurance policies to fill out, as well as non-indemnification clauses, but also, we do want to go over the nature of the curse."

"Of course," I plopped down on one of the couches. "I tried to do my own research, but it seems that Temecula Valley is rather tight-lipped about the curse."

"Generally, yes. But the truth is, the nature of our curse is rather mysterious. All we really know about it is that it targets one person each year, and sends that name to the dean before that person is even accepted into the school. Actually, it sometimes sends it before the student had applied."

"Makes sense. I didn't apply here. I thought my father had done it for me." I frowned. "Hold on, you say the school sends the name to the dean?"

"Yes, a piece of paper comes to the dean via a special tube every year," Deandrea rifled through the folder and pulled out a slip of paper. The paper looked as if it had been hand pressed, and my name was written in a scrawl that appeared as if the writer had done the writing with their non-dominant hand.

"Well, who sent it? Someone had to have sent it."

"We've checked the tubes countless times. If you try to follow the tube, it comes right back to the dean's office. It's spelled to be that way. Some of the hallways and paths do that too. You end up right where you started, if you start in the wrong place."

I frowned down at the paper. "I couldn't find any info on your Chosen Ones either. What happens to the Chosen Ones after they die?"

"Oh, well, I don't want to spoil anything," she grinned like she was going to let out some big secret, and shrugged her shoulders. "But some are buried here on campus. They have their own special cemetery!"

"Jesus," I muttered. "I am not going to be buried here."

"Well, you won't be if we don't find any trace of you," Deandrea laughed. "Usually we don't. Find any traces, that is."

I gave a wan smile.

"But I know what you are thinking. All curses have an origin, and all curses can be traced. Beating a curse is usually the case of one or two things. Tracing it to its origin, whether that be a person or book or artefact, and destroying it, or finding the undoing mechanism of the curse. However, this specific curse is so ancient, no one has been able to trace its magic type, and no one knows what the undoing mechanism is!"

"Surely you know what the undoing mechanism isn't."

"I'm sorry?"

"How long as this school been operating?"

"For over a thousand years, at least."

"So more than a thousand kids have died, and you have no record of what they've tried to escape the curse?"

"Oh, well, I'm sure we do somewhere! It's probably in the library."

"As the Chosen One counselor, shouldn't you have this information?"

"That is a very good question! When I find out the answer, I'll be sure to let you know."

I sighed. Deandrea was of similar help for all my other questions, and so I let her go, citing jet lag, even though I had attempted to spell that away as soon as I had landed, before I had even left the plane. She left with a cheery smile, leaving me to stare at the folder and its contents, all of which held no answers or clues on what to do.

"I'm fucked," I said to myself.


	7. The Moment We've All Been Waiting For

Julian Shadowcut was less magical and fancy in real life.

I walked into the dorm to find him asleep on the loveseat, his leg draped over the headrest, with his sunglasses - keyholes - crooked on his face. His hair wasn't doing anything weird. He wore a T-shirt, and a jacket was under his head.

Papers were strewn all over the coffee table. A set of blue luggage was piled right in front of the door, making it hard for me to get in the room with my own luggage. I struggled and finally got in, and the door slammed shut behind me, but that didn't wake Julian.

The place looked like a nicer version of a travel motel. It had a mini kitchen, and a nice living area, but I wasn't happy to see that we'd be sharing a room and bathroom. He hadn't claimed a bed, so I claimed the one by the window and threw my duffle bag and backpack on it. I kicked my rolling bag to the foot of the bed, then set to unpacking. I knew it was best to claim things as yours first, if you could, and if Mr. Shadowcut wasn't going to lay claim to things, I was. I claimed the best sink. The best part of the shared closet. The best set of drawers, and even the television remote. I claimed the top outlet for my phone charger, and the best part of the bulletin board in the room, where I hung up my class schedule, important numbers (Mom and Dad insisted on a hard copy), and a map of the campus.

I lounged on the bed and began fiddling with my phone with Julian decided to wake up. He shuffled into the room and stared at me through his sunglasses, then looked the room over. "That's my bed then?" he asked.

"Yep."

"You're Liam?"

"Yep."

"Right. I'm gonna take a shower. I smell like airport." He disappeared and then returned with his bags and plopped them on the bed. He found some clothes, and his dopp bag, and then disappeared into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on, and shook my head.

He came out some time later in a billow of steam, wearing joggers and a V-neck. His hair was doing that thing, even though I was sure it was wet. I stared at it as he unpacked his things. Suits. Nice shirts. Trousers. All his shoes shined.

"It does that," he said sometime later.

"What?"

"My hair. It does that. Its because of the magic."

"Oh."

"You were staring, so I figured I'd tell you."

"Can't you...slick it down?"

"Can't you?"

I touched my hair. It was styled right. "This is how my hair is supposed to be."

"Huh." Julian eyed me. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses now, so I could see his eyes. They were black. Or grey. Or something. He had piercings on his ears, small ones. "So you're a Normal, then?"

"As far as I know." I paused. "And you're magic?"

"Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

"Yeah. Don't ask, I won't get into it." Julian flopped down onto his bed.

I thought. "You sound like you don't want to have magic."

"That is what unfortunately means."

"But..." I thought of the video of him rescuing that kid. "You seem pretty good at it."

"How the hell would you know?"

"I...saw a video."

"Fuck," Julian scowled and then scooted himself off the bed, rumpling his bedcovers on the way. "I fucking told them to take that video down." He disappeared into the common area. He came back with his phone. "Fuck!"

I widened my eyes but turned my attention back to my own phone. Julian was scrolling, pausing only to put a cigarette in his mouth. "Um...there's no smoking on campus."

"What?"

"You can't smoke indoors in California."

Julian looked at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to cuss at me or something, but he just pulled the cigarette away and put it on his nightstand. "This video's all over. Look..." He put his phone down and pointed towards me. "Whatever you think you know about me, Normal, you don't know. This shit," he motioned with his phone. "Is just shit. Its not real."

I held up a hand in defense, as if I didn't care. I didn't. Not really.

He plopped back down onto the bed and sighed. Maybe he was jet lagged or something.

"What's your story?"

"What?"

"What's your story? How come you're a Normal going to a magic school?"

"Its a lesson on culture and worldiness," I muttered. "So so my Mom and Dad say. It was either this or hang around my hometown with nothing to do and no one to do it with." I waited a beat. "You?"

"I'm the Chosen One," Julian said with mock enthusiasm. "The newest yearly sacrifice to a cursed school."

"So its real?"

"What is?"

"The curse?"

"If what I'm told is true. Thousands of dead kids, one curse, and no one knows anything about it." He waited a moment and then looked over at me. "You aren't scared are you?"

"Why would I be scared?"

"Its a curse, and I'm the cursed one, and you are sharing a room with me."

"I don't believe in curses."

"Yes, well, I don't believe in Father Christmas yet he is based off a real person."

"Father who?"

"Look, just...we should probably think of ways to stay away from each other. If I'm the target of this curse, you shouldn't want to be in the crosshairs."

"We're part of that program," I said. "We're kind of stuck together."

"We don't have to do anything we don't want to do. You haven't been exchanged to some far off land, and I have plans to get out of here anyway. You know California. You don't need me to tell you anything."

I shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'm just here for a semester anyway."

"What's that mean?"

"After six months, I can go off and pick whatever college I want to go to."

"Why don't you go now?"

"Because I'm broke, and if I don't stay here for six months, my parents won't pay for me to go to college."

"Can't you get student loans?"

"Not if you are considered a dependent."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I am a slave to whatever my parents want me to do until I am at least twenty five."

"That's bullshit!"

"Said every kid ever," I muttered, turning back to my phone. I was scrolling Mia's Instagram. She had posted pictures of her and Aaron during summer break. They spent a lot of time at the beach, with Mia wearing different versions of pink bikinis. They looked really happy. Aaron looked happy. One picture had Aaron sitting on the beach, presumably nude. Mia had put an eggplant emoji over his pelvic area, so he could have been wearing a suit. I frowned and clicked over to his account.

"Who's pissed you off?" Julian asked.

"My ex, and her new boyfriend," I said, automatically. I looked up. "Nevermind. It's nothing."

"Let me see."

"Why do you want to see?"

"I'm a great judge of character."

"So what, its none of your business."

Julian flicked his hand, making some weird motion. My phone flew out of my grasp and into his.

"What the fuck, man, give me back my phone!"

"Oh, he's hot," Julian said, scrolling through the pictures. "Nice smile, tall. She's in it just for the dick."

I got up and grabbed my phone out of his hands. "Its none of your fucking business." I frowned. "Don't do that again."

"What?"

"That magic shit. Don't touch my stuff. Don't take my things. Don't use magic on me."

"Alright, look, sorry," Julian sat up and held up his hands. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Then don't touch my stuff. And stay out of my business." I left the room, feeling a haze of anger about me. "And don't fucking read my mind!"

"I'm not a fucking mind reader!" Julian shouted it, but I was already heading out the door.


	8. Owen Who?

Fuck me.

Liam was the cute sort of Normal. Of course he was. Why would I think that, just by going to California, my situation would get any better? Why would I think that fate had thought to relax a bit, and maybe give me a break? No. Of course not. Fate decided to pair me with a cute Normal, a newly single cute Normal, and from what I can surmise so far, a straight cute Normal.

You could tell he was a runner. He had slightly wavy, light brown hair at just the right length that you could put your hands through it if you wanted. He had some freckles, but not a lot. His eyes were brown, and his skin was a bit olive complected. He looked good in a T-shirt from what I saw. He made laid-back look good.

Not to mention, his kissable, pouty mouth and long, light brown lashes that were so unfairly given to a face that was already cute as it was.

I didn't see anything of him that night, as I had fallen asleep again after he had left. I woke up the next morning to see him completely covered in blankets, with only a tiny bit of his brown hair peeping up at the top where his pillow was. He didn't snore or anything.

I went and got ready. All I had were suits and designer looks, so I opted for something that was hopefully a little less attention-grabbing. I picked a black turtleneck, and rolled up the sleeves. I put on some black slacks that shone with the tiniest hint of a tonal floral pattern, plus some Chelsea boots. I tried slicking down my hair like Liam had said, but even though it held the shape, making me look like Tom Hiddleston as Loki, it did move about a bit on its own still.

When I had gotten out of the bathroom, Liam was still asleep. I shrugged. I wasn't his keeper by any means, so I left to head towards orientation. Deandrea stood outside the doors, waiting in the hall with a smile plastered on her face, and clipboard in hand. I nearly shouted in fright.

"Is your roommate coming with us today?"

"He's still sleeping. Is there tea or anything at the orientation?"

"Tea!" Deandrea giggled as we headed back towards the elevators. "No, but Starbucks has very graciously provided coffee and scones for us!"

I didn't reply, and let her lead me out of the dorm and into the commons. A huge area of it had been set up with tents, and in each tent there was a table manned by people of all sorts of natures. I saw some of the signs they were hanging. _Greater Los Angeles Society of Werewolves. Recovering Christians in the Magical World. Vampire Equality Now. Anime for Elves._ _Flute Club._

"Where's the footie sign ups?"

"Footie?"

"Er...soccer."

"Oh, right. Sports are on the far rows. I will get you set up with your Wayfinder and then introduce you to a few of last year's Chosen One's friends, and then let you wander about at your leisure. You are a bit early though, so they probably aren't here yet..."

"We're here."

We turned to see two students come up to us. One was definitely a vampire, with the pale, purplish skin tone and fangs poking at her bottom lip. She had her hair done up in a ponytail, and wore sunglasses, and held an umbrella to shield her from the sun. She was so done up in skin covering clothes, the only parts of her showing were her neck - adorned by two puncture marks, of course - and the bottom half of her face. Oh, and her two, slightly pointy ears. The other was an elf, complete with a rack of antlers arranged above their much more pointier ears. They were pale, and blonde, as elves tended to be.

"I'm Amanda," the vampire said. She motioned with her head to the elf. "This is Oleander."

"Julian," I said, holding my hand out to them. They didn't take it. I pulled my hand back and curled my fingers to my chest.

"We aren't here to make friends with another Chosen One," Amanda said. "We're just here to orient you."

"Orient me?"

"What to expect, what not to expect," Oleander said. "Etcetera."

"Amanda and Oleander were our previous Chosen One's closest friends," Deandrea said cheerfully. "Oleander was there when Marissa died. Amanda was Marissa's roommate."

"So you know what Marissa did to try to stop the curse, then?" I asked.

Amanda scoffed. "Stop the curse? You can't stop the curse. You're going to die."

The elf seemed to appear more sympathetic. "What Amanda is saying is that no matter what we tried, the curse got Marissa anyway. We spent nearly a year trying to break that curse, just like everyone else before Marissa did."

"Not everyone else," Amanda muttered. "No one gives a shit if the Chosen One dies."

"I'll leave you three to get better acquainted then!" Deandrea said. She flashed us another smile and hurried away.

I turned to the two. "From what I am gathering from you two, and of course, from common sense, this was probably a rather traumatic experience. And speaking as this new Chosen One, I'd like to do everything in my power to keep from dying. Or anyone else. If I don't crack this, it just means someone else will have to, and if they fail, they'll die."

"Don't pretend to be altruistic," Amanda said. "We know about you. Honestly, I'm glad that some English upper crust is getting knocked down a peg."

"Harsh," I replied.

"Amanda, being rude is not going to bring Marissa back," Oleander said.

"Whatever. I'm getting coffee."

"You can't drink coffee."

"Whatever!" Amanda flailed her free hand at us, then stormed off. Her umbrella had a print of tiny white kittens on it.

Oleander sighed. "You'll have to forgive her. She was very close to Marissa. And she is right...it is kind of useless to try to help or befriend another Chosen One."

"It seems, though, that this lack of wanting to help is keeping future Chosen Ones from cracking the curse."

"You are right. Looking for help from previous Chosen Ones was the first thing we did. We checked for a record of previous attempts of other Chosen Ones. No such record exists."

I frowned. "Can we track down the people who knew these Chosen Ones?" I motioned to Oleander. "I mean, I could start with you. You could tell me everything you tried."

"I don't know if there's much to tell. Honestly, we spent most of our time either studying or fighting off the most recent attack."

"Attack?"

"The curse activates in attacks. It will create situations or traps for the Chosen One, and will use buildings, magic, even your friends to do it. No two attacks are the same. At least, none that we experienced."

"What were the attacks?"

"They could be as simple as sucking all the air out of a room to try to suffocate you, or as complex as locking you in a hidden maze until you starve."

"And there was no way to anticipate these attacks?"

"None. They seemed to happen at random."

"Fuck," I muttered. "Um, what else? You said you looked for a record."

"There is...sort of a record. You'll see it later today. Its sort of...part of the prestige of the school. Its...the Hall of the Chosen Ones."

"A hall?"

"With pictures and histories. But it is pretty glossed over. When they put Marissa in there, they didn't tell about _how_ we got out of the traps and stuff. And they didn't say how we had gone to three different libraries, all in different campuses, to find out about the curse."

"Did you find anything out about it?"

"Just that it seems to like power. Each Chosen One is the most powerful magician of that school year. When the Chosen One dies, their power is gone. Usually it recycles back into the families. Human families, that is."

"So all the Chosen Ones are human?"

"Now that I think of it, they are. Elves have a collective magic. Vampires are one-offs. Werewolves _are_ magic, and also one-offs. Pixies, fairies, all of them, the magic is either collective, gained, or one-off. Only humans pass magical abilities through blood. If you are born into a magical family, you are magic. If you are not, you're not."

"Hmm." I sighed. "Thanks. You've actually helped quite a bit."

"I'm sorry I cannot do more." Oleander gave me a truly pitiful look. "Here," they reached up and grabbed a point of their horns. They snapped it off and handed it to me. "If you ever need me, you can use this to have me help you with elven magic."

"I don't want you to be beholden to me, Oleander."

"It is alright. I have plenty of points." They motioned to their horns and smiled.

"Thanks...that means a lot."

"Good luck, Julian Shadowcut."

I nodded as Oleander moved off, probably to find Amanda. I looked at the point in my hand, then pocketed it.

Just as Liam entered the commons. He saw me, rolled his eyes, then came over. He was wearing a button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and nice jeans. I guess this was as nice of clothes as he owned. His shoes were white canvas lace-ups.

"What was that look for?" I said.

"What look?"

"You rolled your eyes at me."

"You look like you should be working at Nordstrom."

I looked down at myself. I suppose my outfit wasn't as casual as I had hoped. "Well, you don't need to hang out with me if you don't want to," I said. "It's probably best anyway."

"Who was that..."

"Elf?"

"That was an elf?"

"You've never met an elf before?"

"There aren't a lot of magical people in Santa Clarita."

"That was Oleander. They were friends with the previous Chosen One, Marissa." I pulled the point out of my pocket, then held it out to him. "Here. Take this."

"What's that? A deer antler?"

"Elf point. If you have this, the elf it belongs to is beholden to you as long as you have it. Favors, magic, you name it. You could even force them to be your friend."

"That's exploitation."

"Just...if you're going to be following me around, I'd rather you have some sort of contingency if something bad happens to you."

Liam took it, then examined it. He put it in his pocket. "Did the elf have anything to say? You know, about being a Chosen One?"

"Yes, but, no need to worry yourself about it."

"If my roommate is going to be cursed, I think I should know as much as I can about the curse."

"Just stay away from me."

"That's kind of hard to do when we share a room." He paused. "Plus, you snore."

"I do not."

"A little."

I looked to him. He was smiling. "So I take it you forgive me for the phone thing?"

"If you don't do it again. I'm not a fan of pranks and all."

"Noted." I sighed and looked about. The commons were beginning to fill with students. "You say you've never seen magical types before?"

"I've seen you, and I've seen an elf, so far."

"Want to meet some werewolves?"

"Is...that a joke?"

"They're harmless." I smirked. "As long as it isn't a full moon, that is."

"Do they look like wolves?"

"They look like people."

"And why would I want to meet them?"

"So when its a full moon, you know who to avoid?"

Liam thought on it. He raised his brows in concession with my suggestion. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Right. Follow me."


	9. The Hall

"Where did you get a map?" Julian asks it as he simultaneously tears the map from my hands, leaving me with my own hands in a map shaped gap before me, and my face hopefully showing my displeasure.

"My counselor gave it to me," I said. I buried my hands in my pockets. I watched as Julian tried to make heads or tails out of it, but the thing was horribly confusing. Plus, parts on the map _moved_. They disappeared, reappeared other places, shifted, grew, and shrank. It was the world's craziest lenticular.

" _My_ counselor says there are no maps," Julian said. He frowned down at the thing, looked about us, then frowned down at the map again. There was a marker to show where we were on the map, but it did little to orient us. "This thing is useless."

I carefully took the map from him, folded it, and put it in my back pocket, next to my phone. "Why do you need one? You have that." I pointed to a pendant necklace that was new on him. He touched it and looked down at the pendant in his hand. "A Wayfinder?"

"Yes, but I don't trust it. If things keep moving around here, who knows where I'll end up."

"How does it work? It just...teleports you?"

"That's an oversimplified way of thinking about it, yes."

"Well...un-oversimplify it."

Julian raised a brow at me. I shrugged. We were walking with a group of students, with a counselor at the head. The counselor was telling us something boring or other about whatever part of the school we were in, and neither Julian or I were paying attention. "Very well. Magic allows you certain...shortcuts. You can find these shortcuts if you know the right spells and rituals."

"I know how magic works," I said, grinning. "Sort of."

"Well, you also have to have the right vibe for it."

"Vibe?"

"Yes. Vibe. Way. Feeling. Aura. Something. It just happens. Magic _can_ refuse you. Anyway. I'm getting away from it."

"Don't ever become a professor."

"Ew, no, why the hell would I do that? The point is, a Wayfinder, or other magical devices, can help you if your vibe is off. I could 'teleport' to where I need to go, if _my_ magic is right, but if the magic of where I am going doesn't vibe with my magic, it could refuse me. So the Wayfinder is like...a key. It helps bridge the gap, or unlock the door, or..."

"I get it. It connects your magic to the magic of where you want to go."

"Right. Then comes the fun part, which I think you'd understand. You're familiar with time and space and all that, yeah?"

"Yeah. Einstein shit."

"Right, Einstein. Oh, if only he had known of magic. Anyway. The Wayfinder, your magic, and the magic of where you want to go sort of...punch through time and space."

"Like a wormhole?"

"What the hell is a wormhole?"

"It's a Star Trek...nevermind. A tunnel. Through time and space."

"Yes, then, a...wormhole. And you are instantaneously where you want to be. In theory, if this thing works. I mean, a miniscule amount of time has passed. You age the smallest fraction of a second in the passing, but that is to be expected."

"Can you take me through a...wormhole?" I pointed to the Wayfinder.

"I don't know. I've never tried this thing, let alone with a passenger."

"You've never teleported before?"

"No." Julian gave me a strange look. "I like walking. And driving."

I made a face that hopefully said, "Okay." We moved on. This part of the building featured the same ancient stone walls as the rest of the building, even though I was sure this stone type was _not_ native to ancient Southern California. It reminded me of the facades people liked to paste to their houses to make them look like they were made of stone, but weren't. Old-school wood wainscotting covered the wall up towards Julian's height - he was just over six feet tall - and portraits of this person or that person dotted the wainscotting here and there. I grimaced at the faces of mutants and vampires staring back from the portraits. It felt like their eyes were following me.

"And here is the Hall of Chosen Ones, a favored feature of most magical schools," our counselor-slash-tour-guide said, motioning around a corner. "Ours is completely unique in that none of our Chosen Ones, at least none in recorded history, have actually _survived_ the curse of Temecula Valley!"

I looked to Julian, but he seemed unbothered by the announcement, and seemed similarly unbothered when the students about us all looked to him and began to whisper. We shuffled forward with the crowd into the hall, which appeared to be any trophy display at any school, except...horrible and kind of morbid.

There was a framed portrait of each Chosen One, or at least, a hundred Chosen Ones, on the walls. In between, under, above, and basically wherever they could be stuck, were glass cases with artifacts related to each Chosen One. Plaques with information were stuck here or there, and it reminded me of those weird skinned-people museums they had in Vegas. Mom and Dad had dragged me to one once. It was nightmare fuel at its finest.

The students milled past the hall slowly, but somewhat disinterested, that is, unless the exhibit was particularly gruesome. Julian paused by the first portrait in the hallway and stared at it, so I joined him.

It was a girl, a cute girl, with a slightly upturned button nose, a cute full smile, and curly hair to her chin. The portrait moved, so she kept smiling more, her eyes squinting as she did so, and then relaxing. A breeze messed with her curls. I read the portrait's plaque. "Marissa Gonzales. She died last year."

"Oleander...your elf point elf...was her friend," Julian said. He looked to the 'artifacts' in the case next to her portrait. A set of broken clear frame glasses, a busted iPhone with a Totoro print case, and a set of pens that looked like she got them specifically for writing notes in cute, carefully planned handwriting. The kind with hearts for dots over the i's.

I looked to the longer plaque near her display, which held a few paragraphs of information. I read it out loud for Julian. " _Marissa was born and raised in South Texas, and was naturally magic at a young age. She favored water-type spells, but was particularly fond of any spell that would help plants grow. She did not attend a magical high school, but opted for public school so she could stay with her friends. Her friends regarded her as cute, friendly, and said she always had a smile on her face. In her class yearbook, she was named most likely to settle down and have a huge family...of rescue dogs."_

I looked to Julian. He said nothing, and kept staring at the portrait. A muscle in his jaw moved. I kept reading.

" _Marissa made fast friends with Amanda Lueck and Oleander the Elf, who helped her with many of the trials she faced at Temecula Valley. Unfortunately, she was beheaded..._ " I stopped. "Holy shit."

Julian looked to the plaque and continued reading. " _She was beheaded while trying to escape with Oleander from a hallway that suddenly sprouted dangerous, flying tiles that flew from the walls. She was eighteen at the time of her death, and is buried in the Temecula Valley commons._ "

"Jesus Christ," I muttered. I looked to Julian in horror. I couldn't help it. I looked down the hall. The tour had abandoned us, and we were the only ones left there. "Are they all like this?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Julian said it with mock enthusiasm. He motioned to the other side of the hall. "You take this side, I'll take this one. Let me know if you find anything interesting."

I moved to the other side of the hall. "Define interesting."

"Anything capable of helping me beat the curse."

"Right." I hadn't realized I was being roped into this, but I guessed that helping him get through this...hall of death would serve both our interests in the moment. I couldn't figure out what _my_ interests were, but I couldn't just leave him here.

The first portrait was a very old one. It actually looked more like a drawing than a photo, but it still moved. It had a boy named Edward, of course Edward, with a handlebar mustache and everything. It said he was from Cheshire. I didn't even know there was a place _called_ Cheshire. I thought it was just the name of the cat from _Alice in Wonderland_. The guy didn't last more than a few weeks here. He was offed by a giant pit that opened up in the floor. His body was never found.

The next person was a girl named Xairu, from China. Her drawing didn't move, and was very pretty. She lasted almost until the end of the year, and was somehow able to sidestep a rabid horde of rats and a loose gate chain that almost took her head off. A firestorm that ate a whole section of the building was what did her in.

"This is some _Final Destination_ shit right here," I muttered.

I heard a sound and turned to see if Julian was alright. He was a bit further down on his side of the hall, but was bracing himself against it with one hand, the other covering his mouth. The artifact in the case next to him was a set of severed and preserved hands. A giant fishing hook, and I mean _giant_ , was speared through both of them, connecting them.

Julian made a _hurk_ noise again.

I looked about. There was a trash can at the end of the hall, so I grabbed him by the arm and led him towards it. He ran half the way there and emptied whatever he had for breakfast - looked like scones - into the garbage. I winced and looked for someone to help, or something to help, anything, just so I didn't have to look at the vomit. There was a bathroom down the next hall, so when he looked like there was a pause between heaves, I led him towards it.

The inside was tiled in black and white subway tiles, and featured oldschool, bonded-to-the-wall style sinks. The mirrors were framed in black frames. A few rectangle windows were open along the tops of the walls, bringing in air from the outside. There were a few urinals, and one stall. I propped the door open with a trash can while Julian went to a sink and began splashing his face with water.

He rinsed out his mouth and coughed. "That was horrendous," he managed.

"Its like they're proud that their school kills people," I said. With nothing to do, I went to the urinal to pee. Julian continued with the water, going between splashing and coughing. I finished up and went over to wash my hands at another sink, but it didn't work. The next one didn't either. Julian motioned to the sink he was using. "Sorry," I said, going to it to wash my hands.

Julian leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He had thick, black lashes, not long, but enough to make it look like he was wearing a bit of make up. Sort of like Robert Downey Junior. "You alright?"

"This place is going to kill me," he muttered.

"I meant, you done throwing up?"

"For now," he said. He opened his eyes. I went to shut the water off, but it wouldn't go off. Frowning, I found paper towels to dry my hands off, then crouched to take a look under the sink. "You know a lot about plumbing?"

"Yeah, actually," I said. "The faucets are probably all old." I stood. "Um...is there anything I can do?"

"No," Julian chuckled. "Unless you can take away my magic, get me out of here, or even...get me some mouthwash."

"I got gum." I pulled my pack out of my pocket and held it out to him.

He laughed. "You're a lifesaver," he took a few pieces. "You don't mind, yeah?"

"Nah." 

We waited silently, listening to the broken faucet waste water, as he opened the gum and chewed it. Somehow, Julian had managed to not get any vomit on his fancy soft sweater or his flowery jeans. He had slicked back his hair again with more water, although it didn't stop the ends from doing its wavy thing.

"You...don't have to wait here with me," Julian said. "Go rejoin the tour."

"The tour was boring." I shrugged. "Besides. I can't just leave you here in the...fucking hall of death."

Julian laughed. I smiled. "It is horrible, isn't it?"

"This place is so weird."

"Its a magic school, Liam. Its supposed to be weird."

"I meant...the people who work here. They all act like all this is normal. They're like flight attendants. Super nice ones."

"They are a bit over the top." He sighed. "Let's go. I need some fresh air that isn't filtered through layers of bathroom funk."

I nodded and turned towards the door...to watch the trash can squeeze out from between it and the door jamb. The door slammed shut. "Huh. Weird." I pulled on the handle. It wouldn't budge. "Its locked."

"It doesn't have a lock."

"I know, but it won't move."

Julian came over and tried the door. It wouldn't budge. "Step back," he said, while simultaneously putting a hand against my chest to push me back. Gently. His hand was really warm, even through my shirt. He pulled a wand from his pants pocket. It was black and simple. He pointed it towards the door, and that blue haze wound down his arm to the point of the wand. He said, "Open sesame!" The blue haze _shot_ towards the door and swallowed it for a moment in a cloud of blue.

Julian tried the door again. Nothing happened.

He looked to me, genuinely confused.

Then, the faucets of the sinks burst off from the walls, and water began spewing into the room. I jumped back from one of the streams just as the pipes that supplied water to the urinals _burst_ through the subway tiled wall, producing a fount of water. We heard the walls do the same in the stall.

Water splashed our shoes.

The windows above us suddenly slammed shut.

I looked to Julian as water began to seep into my sneakers.

"I told you to stay away from me," he said.


	10. Emergency Services

"Disgusting!" I shouted over the sound of the water.

"Its not used water!" Liam shouted back. "Its fresh!" And it was up to his thighs.

"It's bathroom water! I don't care if it's fresh from the springs of Fiji!"

"What?"

"Nevermind!" I had pulled my phone out of my pocket before the water could get to it, and tried to think of who to call. Deandrea? I realized then that I didn't have a direct contact number for her, nor for Amanda or Oleander. Brioni? She could get here quick. I tried dialing her number, but it wouldn't go through. "Damn it!"

Liam waded over and took the phone from me. "Who the hell are you trying to call?"

"My sister!"

"In England?" He looked up at me like I was nuts.

"She could...wormhole here! Actually..." I thought. "I don't need to call! I can just..."

"What's she going to do? Get trapped in here with us?" He cut off the call, which for some reason wasn't going through, and dialed 911.

"What's that?"

"It's the emergency line! They'll send firefighters, police, ambulances...!"

"And what are _they_ going to do? Throw more water on us from the gate? They can't even see this building from the road!"

Liam put the receiver to his ear. "Look, just try to magic us out of here!"

I rolled my eyes but did as he said. I aimed my wand at the door, again, but the spells - "When one door closes, another opens!" and "Love is an open door!" - even leave the tip of the wand. I frowned at it, then aimed it at the windows - "Freedom is an open window!" and "I'm gonna dance on broken glass!" - but, again, nothing. The magic reverberated back into my arm. It felt weird, like pins and needles. "Something is wrong!"

"Everything is wrong!" Liam shouted at me, as if I was somehow unaware of our predicament. He began shouting on the phone. "Hi! Hello? Yes! Hello! Hello?" He held the phone out. "They cut me off!"

I grabbed up the phone. The bars went down one by one...along with the phone battery indicator. It beeped, then went dead. "It...bloody drained my battery" I gave a yell of rage and threw the phone against the bathroom wall. It bounced off pathetically and plopped harmlessly into the water, which was now creeping up past our waists. "Well, do you have any ideas?"

"Magic isn't working?"

"No, there's some sort of block in here!"

"Punch a hole through the fucking wall then!"

"There's no spell for punching a hole through a wall!"

Liam grabbed at my sweater and pulled me close to his angry face. "I saw you rescue a kid from falling off a roof without a spell! I am not dying in a goddamn bathroom! Fucking figure it out!" He shoved me back.

I frowned. "Right." I shoved my wand into my pocket. I tried to tap into what it was that I had felt when Owen was in danger of dying, but then again, it had happened all so suddenly. One moment, Owen was trying to do a bunny hop on the ledge of a building with a hundred floors in it. The next, magic was just _pouring_ out of me. I hadn't cast a spell. I hadn't said a word, or even grabbed my wand. It was just _there_.

I went to the wall closest to the outside world, wading through near chest high water, and put my hands to the wall. I tried to summon up my magic, but while it came in spurts and bits, it was nothing like that overflow of magic that had saved Owen that day.

"Well?!"

I looked over my shoulder at Liam. "I don't...really know how to do it!"

"Do what? Just...magic a hole in the wall!"

"It isn't that simple!" I growled it at him.

"Just do what you did that day on the roof of that building!"

"I don't _know_ what I did!"

"How can you not know?! Its _your_ magic!"

"Why the fuck do you think magicians have wands, Liam?! And spells and shit? Magic doesn't just come _out_ of you!"

Liam gave a yell or scream or something of frustration, then ducked down under the water. I raised a brow at this, but then he came up with one of the broken faucet heads from the busted sinks. He came to the wall beside me and began slamming the faucet head into the tile, cracking it. I stepped aside as he railed against the wall, managing to break off tile and the glue that held the tile to the wall, but then _something_ resisted him, and he was unable to chip through the sheetrock beyond because as soon as he made a nick in it, the _nick healed._

"What the fuck!" Liam screamed it at the wall, then threw the faucet head at it. He went at the wall with his hands, digging his fingernails into the sheetrock, but for every scrape he managed, the wall healed itself.

He stepped back, and the tiles themselves regrew into place.

Liam gave me a bewildered look, and the water crept up to his chest.

I noticed blood coming from his fingertips when I saw them. They made hazy ribbons of red in the water, which was fucking cold, by the way.

We were going to die in here.

 _Liam_ was going to die in here.

My death was one thing, but Liam was just an innocent Normal. He had no defenses against any of this, even if _my_ defenses meant nothing anyway. He should have gone to a Normal school, and had Normal friends. He should have been able to stay with his Normal girlfriend, and do his Normal human sports (did he do sports?). Not die in an enchanted bathroom in a magic school, leaving a drowned and sad body behind.

It was then that I felt it. The rush of energy that had saved Owen. It didn't so much as run through me as explode _from_ me, and I turned to the wall with a yell and unleashed it against the living tile and sheetrock. And it worked. It punched a hole straight through the wall, allowing water to escape. Water rippled and splashed up about me, and I kept giving the magic, I kept pouring energy at it, punching the hole bigger and bigger.

Liam, as I saw from the corner of my eye, was watching me with big round eyes. His wet hair had been blown away from his face with the force of the magic.

The hole was the size of a football, now, three or four of them. Despite being sunk in cold water, sweat was beginning to drip into my face. Every muscle in my body was tense, and I knew I couldn't keep up a never ending fount of magic. But I couldn't force myself to talk to order Liam to help. I didn't need to. He ran at the wall and began slamming his fists into it, managing to knock out a bit more of sheetrock.

It wasn't enough.

I felt myself giving out, and soon, the magic didn't come anymore. It left me, and I cried out before stumbling and falling into the water. Liam abandoned the wall to come help me up, and by the time he had managed to get me back to my feet, the wall had already begun to seal itself up.

A sob might've left me then.

We watched the blue sky of the world beyond disappear as sheetrock and tile sealed the hole up again, and whatever dent the hole had made in the water level was quickly eradicated.

"I'm sorry, Liam," I said. I don't know if he heard me.

"Hey! Hey! We'll think of something!" He tried to smile reassuringly at me, but I could tell that he was as frightened as I was. He looked around, then went to the urinals. He climbed up on one, slipping only once, so he could reach the windows. He pushed at them. Punched at them. Tried to put an elbow through them.

Nothing.

The water was to my chin now, so when he got off the urinal, he plunged into water he could barely stand in. He swam to the door and began pulling at it with his feet against the wall for leverage. I went over, ducked under the water, and did the same.

Our combined strength did nothing.

When we gave up, neither of us could reach the floor without being submerged, so we tread water that was quickly rising towards the ceiling. Every once in a while, he or I would try the door again, or the windows. I tried with the wand, my fists, my feet, but the room was as tight as a drum.

Finally, we were too tired to do more than tread water with the ceiling right above our heads. I suddenly realized a new danger...the electric lights above. If the water got to them, would we be electrocuted? Liam met my eyes, and I guess he realized what I realized, because he dove back under the water again.

This time though, he didn't come back up.


	11. A Useful Normal

Watching Julian punch a hole through the bathroom wall was one of the coolest things I had ever seen.

Magic came out of him like a shimmering blue fist, but not fist shaped, but like...a giant blue wrecking ball, or something. It broke through the wall, and water shot up from around Julian and his magic, like Moses parting the red sea. He was yelling, with his brows all furrowed, his mouth wide, his teeth bared, and his hair rushing back like wind was tugging at it.

It was marvelous.

And it felt weird. Like when you know there's a TV or something on in a room, and can feel it, but not see it? But multiply that like, by a hundred or something.

I don't think he realized how long he was holding the magic, because it was a while. Or maybe it wasn't. I don't know. But soon I realized that the hole in the wall wasn't going to get any bigger because the wall was still actively healing. I went over and began to punch at the wall. My fists were getting bloodied, but I didn't care. I could neosporin them later. Now, we needed to _not die_.

Sometimes his magic would touch me, and it made my swings feel stronger, more complete. I never did boxing or anything like that, but I felt I could go a few rounds every time I accidentally brushed up against the blue.

Soon, though, he couldn't give anymore, and he collapsed back into the water. I wanted to keep punching, but he didn't come back up, so I went over to go get him. By the time he was up, and had stopped spitting out water, the hole was nearly gone again.

It had been for nothing.

Well.

At least if I died, I would die knowing I had seen a real magician do real magic. _Real_ magic, not a spell, not a ritual. Real, raw magic.

We spent a good while trying everything we could to get out. I climbed up on a urinal and went at the windows, bashing them with my elbow, but all I did was end up splitting my elbow open. The windows didn't even crack.

We then tried the door again, but nothing happened.

Soon, we were both out of ideas. And I was tired. I wasn't magical. And I wasn't even the strongest person I knew. But I had thrown everything I could at the bathroom, and it didn't matter.

The bathroom was going to kill Julian, and it didn't care if I just happened to be there.

Julian met my eyes as we tread water. I don't know what he was thinking, but I was sure it was along the lines of _I'm sorry_. He looked absolutely pathetic. I guess, in the grand scheme of things, magic or not, Julian was still _human_ , and magic humans could still drown. And then, I realized, he wasn't any different from me. He was just trying to survive. And he'd gotten handed a pretty shitty hand to deal with, on top of the normal teenager shit.

I kicked with my legs so I could fish in my pockets for something, anything, that I might use. The soggy map, my pack of gum, my now useless phone...I cursed at myself for not carrying a knife or something. If I survived, I decided, I'd save up and buy one.

My hand landed on the elf point.

I frowned, then thought of something. I didn't even bother telling Julian, I doubted he'd understand anyway. I dove under the water and swam down to the floor where I found one of the busted faucet heads again. I then swam to the door and examined it.

It opened in, so it would come at us if it did open. It was obviously locked by magic at the handle, even though there was no lock. I could feel water being sucked out at the bottom and the seams, which meant it wasn't water tight.

The room had sealed the door, but not all of it.

I went to the hinges and nearly gave up all my air as I exclaimed for joy. Using the faucet head, I began banging up at them. They were pin hinges.

I banged, banged, banged some more. This must've alerted Julian because he dove down to come get me, and pulled me up for air. There was still some air left between the water level and the ceiling. "They're pin hinges!"

"What?"

"The hinges to the door! They're pin hinges!"

"What...does that mean?"

"Get one of these!" I showed him the faucet head. "Do what I do!" I dove back down again. Julian followed suit, and watched as I slammed the faucet head up against the pin that was lodged between one of the hinges. He went up again for air, then came back down and grabbed his own faucet head. He came over and watched.

The pin I was working on budged.

This seemed to be all the incentive he needed. He began banging away at the hinge below mine, even as I worked my hinge pin up more and more. Soon, it was almost dislodged completely, so I grabbed it and wrenched it free.

I went up for air, and so did Julian. The space above was smaller now. Too small. I grabbed air and dove down again to work on the lowest hinge, while Julian worked on the middle one. He managed to get his hinge free, and then went back up for air.

I continued banging at the last hinge, even though my lungs were screaming at me. It budged, but I didn't know if the room was onto us or if the hinge was just sticky, because it wasn't moving as fast the other hinges. I had to abandon it to get more air, and I realized when I got up there, that this was the last time I was going to be able to breathe.

 _Please let this work_ , I thought. I then thought a different thought, and kept repeating it in my mind, pleading, and hoping, that it would work. I went back down to the hinge and Julian followed, I guess, since there was no more air. I hammered at that hinge, and hammered, and hammered.

It budged.

I grabbed at the pin and pulled, and Julian came up and helped, and it moved, millimeter by millimeter, until the pin was loose.

And then...nothing happened.

I pried at the seam of the door with my fingers, but was unable to get it open. Julian wedged the tip of his wand in, and tried to use that to crowbar the door open. It was obvious that we were not going to be able to move the door from our side. It was flush, and the water was pushing up against it.

Julian looked to me, and I just shook my head.

I held up the elf point.

The door then jumped towards us, knocking off the hinges, and then slammed down. This was all that was needed, and the door was sucked out through the doorway, still connected at the handle, but all the water was sucked out with it, and all the water carried us in what was sure to be an amazing waterfall that spilled out into the hallway. I lost Julian in the mess, but managed to find air and grab a lungful of it before I was catapulted against the far hall wall and then swept with the water down to...somewhere.

When the rollercoaster ride from hell stopped, I was laying face down on the floor, soaking wet. I coughed and sputtered, and then people were hauling me to my feet. I looked up into one of their faces and saw the elf that Julian had been talking to. I grinned.

 _Julian_.

I looked about, but others were helping Julian to his feet not far away. We were back in the Hall of Chosen ones, with water creating puddles here and there, and dripping from the ceilings. Some of the paintings were hanging crookedly, and some of the display cases had been broken, spilling their artifacts about. "Well, I guess no more Hall of Chosen Ones," I said. I coughed. I laughed.

Julian looked to me, then laughed. "How did you bloody pull that off, Liam?"

"Pin hinges," I managed. I gave the elf a hug, and luckily, they seemed okay with me throwing my arms about them. "And this one here."

"Yes, you were smart to give your Normal the point," the elf said, patting me on the back. "His quick thinking most likely saved your lives."

Julian slicked back his hair with both hands. "Well, who says Normals can't be useful?"

I raised a brow. He came over and hugged us both, and planted a kiss on the elf's cheek. After we were glad and recovered and thankfully out of danger, and no longer caught up in the thrill of surviving, Julian looked about at the Hall. "Fuck this hall," he said. "And fuck this school. C'mon, let's get out of here."

The three of us left, leaving the others to stare at the destroyed bathroom and Hall in wonder. We made it back to the dorm, where we took turns showering up and recovering. When it was my turn, I realized that my phone had been in that bathroom, and I had no map now, either.

I listened to the water of the shower as I stripped out of my soaking clothes, and thought of what had just happened.

We'd almost died.

 _I'd_ almost died.

The magic fucking school had almost just _killed_ me.

I felt my stomach roil, but I was not the vomiting type. Even when I had managed to get drunk in the past at some party or something, I could never throw up to feel better. I felt nausea either way, and then, I realized I was going to have a panic attack. My limbs started to shake, and then my vision rippled and closed in on me. My whole body shook, and I let out a cry as tears poured from my eyes. I felt my chest tighten in what I could only describe as a full body cramp.

It suddenly became hard to breathe.

I thought of calling out for Julian or the elf, but I didn't want them to see me standing here, naked, bawling like a little kid. So I went into the shower and sat on the tiled ledge there, and put my head in my hands until it seemed like the panic was going away. I hurriedly washed my hair and body, rinsed off, and got out. I dressed myself in my chones and joggers, then got out of there, not bothering to towel off my head or put on a shirt.

I didn't want to spend anymore time closed in a bathroom that day if I could help it.

....

Julian and his elf were in the common room when I got out. They both looked up at me as I passed the open bedroom door. I put on my shirt and breathed a fresh breath of air, then joined them. "Uh, hey," I said to the elf. "Thank you again, um..."

"Oleander," they said. They smiled warmly.

"Yeah. You really saved us back there."

"It was no problem," they said, giving a small bow. "It's a good thing that the bathroom wasn't blocked to all magic, just yours, Julian."

"We did manage to break a hole through it, for a bit," Julian said. He was seated on the lovechair again, lounged back as he had been the first time I'd seen him, but was wearing burnout velvet pajama pants and a loose tank. His hair was still wet. "Drained all my magic, though."

"Yeah, that was weird," I said. I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, but there was nothing inside.

"Oh, I've ordered some pizza," Oleander said. "Since both your phones were destroyed."

"Fuck," I cursed to myself. I straightened and shut the fridge door. "Crap." Good thing Mom and Dad insisted on a hard copy of phone numbers. It didn't include anybody interesting though, although I knew Mia's number by heart.

"Um, actually, Oleander, can I borrow your phone for a bit?" Julian asked. Oleander gave him their phone - the new flip kind - and Julian sat up to thumb through it. "Thanks. What sort of phone do you like, then, Liam?"

"What?"

"I'm going to buy you a new phone."

"You...don't have to do that."

"It's my fault your phone got wrecked. What was it again?"

"An S4."

"A what?" Julian looked up at me. I shrugged. "Nevermind. I'll just get a pair of iPhones."

"I really don't need..."

"Liam, it's bad enough that I almost got you killed," Julian said. He refused to look up at me, and continued to type away at the phone.

"He is embarrassed," Oleander whispered at him.

"Why would you be embarrassed?" Julian asked, looking up at me. I could feel my cheeks redden.

"He feels he should be able to care for himself," Oleander said.

"I said no mind reading," I said.

"I can't help it. Both of you are projecting like mad right now. It happens after a traumatic incident, and usually with humans. Your auras are practically spilling out of the room."

"Look," Julian pressed a few more buttons. "I just bought them. And no need to be embarrassed." He paused. "Its the least I can do." He held the phone up for Oleander. "Thanks."

"No problem," Oleander said.

I scratched the back of my head and took a seat on the arm of the other couch. "So..."

"So?" Julian said, reclining again. "I hope you like pepperoni."

"I...uh, well, yeah, but," I cleared my throat. "Shouldn't we talk about what happened?"

"I'd rather not," Julian said. "Bad enough that I lived it."

"I mean...you do want to know about how to beat this thing, right?"

Julian shrugged.

Oleander sighed. "Julian is planning on leaving."

"What? Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Julian laughed. "The school curse just tried to kill me. I am not going to stay to find out what else the curse can do."

"But...won't the curse follow you? Isn't that how curses work?"

"The school is cursed, not me."

"Julian might be right," Oleander said. "When Marissa, Amanda, and I left campus, no trouble befell us. It was only when Marissa was on campus that the curse seemed to work."

"So the curse needs Julian here to work," I said. I got up and went back to the bedroom, grabbed a notebook and pen, and then went back to the common room and my seat. I flipped the notebook open to a clean page. I wrote 'The Curse' on the top of the page, and began bullet pointing a list. "Curse needs Chosen One on campus to work."

"Are you going to devise a plan?" Julian asked.

"Well, yeah."

"If I'm leaving, there's no point." Julian sat up.

"What happens to the next Chosen One then?" I asked. "Or what if the curse figures out you're gone and are not coming back, and evolves?"

"Curses don't _evolve_."

"Well, I don't know," I shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure this thing out. If you leave, then I'm the next person who would know something. Then Oleander and..."

"Amanda," Oleander said.

"Yeah."

"And the counselors," Julian said.

I wrote everyone's name down. "So we know, or assume, that Julian has to be here for the curse to work," I said. "And it seems like the curse uses the building itself to set traps for the Chosen One." I wrote that down too. "At least, from what we saw, and from what we read in the Hall."

"Yes," Julian said. He had his chin in his hand, thinking, with his index finger tapping his lip. "It all involved the building or the grounds."

"And the curse will destroy parts of the building to try to kill you," I said. "Although the magic seems to be concentrated. The curse seemed to be localized to the bathroom. Once we got out, it had nothing. There were no other traps. Like it needs to reset or something before the next trap."

"And it seemed to have no way of anticipating you," Oleander said, pointing to me. "Its efforts are focused on Julian, and you just happened to be an innocent bystander. But its contingencies seemed to be for what could be assumed of Julian's abilities."

"How so?" Julian asked.

"It was able to block and counter all your magic," I said.

"And it assumed you would go for the obvious ways out," Oleander said. "The door, the windows. Even punching through the wall."

"But we were able to get out because I knew how to remove pin hinges," I murmured. "The curse didn't anticipate it because...do magicians not have doors?" I looked to either of them. Oleander blinked and cocked their head. Julian shrugged. "Don't you have doors?"

"I don't look at the doors in my house," Julian said. "They're hundreds of years old."

"You don't know how to install a door?" I raised a brow.

"No, I don't know how to install a fucking door. Why would I need to know that?"

I scoffed a laugh and turned to Oleander. "What about you?"

"My home has curtains," they said. "Flowery ones. They open and close by themselves, if you are coming through."

"So this curse will anticipate you," I said, pointing to Julian, "but not me."

"Normal stuff."

"Yeah. Normal stuff," I shook my head and wrote everything down. "Like plumbing and door hinges."

"How did you know about door hinges?" Julian asked.

"I've installed a door before. Dad wanted a study upstairs, so we turned half a bedroom into one, and put in a door."

"Huh," Julian looked genuinely impressed. "What else do you know?"

Oleander nodded and looked as if they, too, wished to know.

"That's the thing," I said. I sighed. "I think the curse _does_ evolve."

"Curses don't evolve."

"But it must. It knew to kill your phone," I said. "But phones weren't around when all those other kids died, like Edward and Xairu. If it didn't evolve to include new aspects of whatever Chosen One there is at any given time, it could be more easily beatable. It knew you had a phone and would call for help."

"Because that is what Marissa did," Oleander murmured in realization. "We...we were...well. Yes, she tried to dial out with her phone, and got through to help. But...help didn't arrive in time."

"And her phone was in the display case," Julian said. He rubbed his face with his hands. "So what does this mean, that now the curse is going to lock all the door hinges?"

"It might. Or it might anticipate me knowing about door hinges," I said. "And if that's the case, and it can anticipate _me_ being there, if I told you everything I knew, it could anticipate those things as well."

"Then don't tell us what you know." Julian looked ill again.

A knock came at the door, startling us all. Oleander went to answer it, and came back with three large pizzas. "I didn't know what you liked, aside from pepperoni, so I got a few varieties. I am partial to Hawaiian myself." They smiled that sweet, genuine smile of theirs. "I love fruit on pizza!"

I smiled back at them. It was impossible to feel hopeless when they were around.

They set the pizzas down, and we ate in silence for a while, ruminating on what had happened, and what we knew. At some point, Oleander took out their phone when it chimed, and covered their mouth with their hand. I realized that they only had three fingers and a thumb. "Oh, no..."

"Oh no, what?" Julian asked between bites of pepperoni. He'd put tons of parmesan and red pepper flakes on it, and had even put a pepperoncini on his slice as well. It looked disgusting. He took another bite and made a pleased sound.

I stuck with just plain cheese.

"It seems your debacle has already been posted to Youtube." Oleander handed the phone over to Julian, who took some time to wipe his hands clean before taking it. I got up and went to sit beside Julian to watch as well.

Someone in the Hall had run up to join a small crowd of magical types as they stared at the bathroom door and the water coming out from the seams. Some of them were even trying to open the door. Whoever was filming was shouting for them all to push on the door, or run at it, and a few people tried ramming it, but to no avail.

Then Oleander ran up and ordered everyone to stand back. They produced a wand - white - and shouted an elven spell at the door. The door shook, then thunked forward before opening outward. A wall of water spilled forth, taking out everyone unfortunate to be standing too close. Even the person with the phone wasn't spared. They shouted a spell to protect their phone from the water before being swept away...but not before their phone caught Julian and I spilling from the bathroom like two drowned rats.

There were already a couple hundred thousand views and comments.

"They're fucking relentless," Julian said, pushing the phone away. I took it and began scrolling through the comments. Some of them were the usual troll comments, saying that Julian got what he deserved, or worse. Someone posted that Julian should have packed his water wings. But the other comments were asking how Julian was, how I was, _who_ I was, how did Julian escape, who was the elf, and more.

I sighed and handed Oleander their phone back. "Well. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Julian said. "If I can manage it. If I don't get killed between now and then."

"It would probably be prudent if you were both not in the same room together," Oleander said. "Just in case something happens between now and then."

"Good idea." Julian sighed. "You take the bedroom, Liam. Our phones should be delivered tomorrow morning. Then...then I'll go."

I frowned, but nodded.

"Sounds...good to me."


	12. A Duct-Taped Corolla

"It does not sound good to him," Oleander informed me, as soon as we were out on the commons. 

They'd wanted to head back to their dorm, and I wanted some fresh air, so I changed into a fresh outfit (with watch, since I didn't have my phone). It was getting towards evening now, and everyone was out having a nice time socializing on the last day before school. I tried not to notice as conversations hushed as we neared, and people turned to look at us. "You will get used to it."

"I thought I was used to being the center of attention before," I said, looking over at a group of fairies who hurriedly looked away when I met their eyes. "This is a whole other level of weird."

"They are only curious. They can't help it."

"It's probably the most human-like behavior they all could have." I sighed. "Anyway. What were you saying?"

"He is worried about you."

"Who?" I knew who.

"Liam," Oleander raised a blond brow. "He likes you, you know."

"Well, he doesn't hate me."

"No, I meant, he _likes_ you. He particularly likes your hair and how you dress."

I laughed. "He hates how I dress."

"It amuses him."

"Great. So I am a very fancy clown then."

"That is not what I meant."

"Sorry. I am just...I don't want to hear this when I am planning on leaving, and right after I almost got him killed."

"It wasn't your fault."

I stopped and looked at Oleander. "But it is, isn't it? If it wasn't for me, Liam would have never been trapped in that bathroom, and he wouldn't have almost drowned."

Oleander didn't have an argument, so we continued walking. "What will you do when you leave?"

"I made a pact with my sister that if I left, and left behind the family name, she'd fund my living expenses," I said. "So I am just going to _go_. I'll find a hotel for a bit, then contact her, set up an account if she hasn't done it already, and just...go live life. See what California has for me."

"No Chosen One has ever been able to leave before."

"Why didn't Marissa leave? She could have. Just left. Not deal with it."

"Amanda."

"The vampire girl?"

"Yeah. Apparently they knew each other before Temecula Valley, back when Amanda was human. After she was bit, the only thing for her was to enroll in magic. Marissa got accepted here, and Amanda followed. If Amanda left, her provisions would be cut off."

"Provisions? Like a blood supply?"

"Yes. Amanda hasn't had to bite anyone since she joined Temecula Valley, and Marissa wanted to help her. The school funds for Amanda's provisions, and if she joins a coalition on vampirism awareness and prevention, or an ambassadorship, or even one of the United States government's paranormal teams, she will have provisions for life."

"Nice of them."

"Marissa knew if she left, Amanda would follow. And Amanda had already drained a few people and...well, it weighs on her conscience."

"If she drains them, she kills them?"

Oleander nodded.

"What about the Chosen One before that?"

"I don't know. I'm a sophomore. But I am sure someone, somewhere tried to leave. It must not've worked, somehow. The curse always gets its target."

"That is always _so_ refreshing to hear," I muttered. "Look...if I do manage to get away, and I know you aren't beholden to me, but, can you do me a favor?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Just make sure Liam is okay? He looked...shaken up. He deserves better than all this. Any Normal would."

"I will do my best."

I smiled and then found myself drawn into a hug with the elf. They smelled of a bouquet. It was nice.

...

I made a point to stay out of the dorm until I was sure that Liam would be asleep, but when I came back, he was awake. Or partly awake. He was snoozing on the couch, and shot up to sitting when I came in. I raised a brow. "Good...evening?"

"Sorry," he said. He rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

I looked at my watch. "Creeping towards midnight." I looked about. "You didn't stay up for me, did you?"

"Of course I did," he cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his head. "You're cursed, and you almost died today. I had no way of knowing if you were okay."

"Aww," I said, feigning a joking tone. "I didn't know you cared."

"It's basic empathy to hope your roommate doesn't die," he said. "Even if you were the worst roommate ever."

"What's worse than a roommate who is cursed, and the curse almost got _you_ killed before the term even started?" I flopped down on the couch. There was still a box of pizza left, so I helped myself to cold leftovers.

"Ones that play drums? Smokes bad weed? Runs a meth lab? Are secret Russian spies?"

"People do that?"

"I've heard stories."

"Do tell. I love a good Normal story."

Liam sighed. "When my sister went to Cornell, she didn't stay in the dorms. She stayed in a house where different people rented out different rooms. One of those people was cooking meth in their room, and the room kind of...exploded a little."

"Exploded a little? How does it explode only a little?"

"It didn't take out the whole house. Luckily no one was home."

I laughed. "Normals are hilarious."

"How is that hilarious?"

"Most of you never get cursed. Most of you live your lives without worrying about this or that magic thing happening. And even most of you don't have to worry about stupid shit like paparazzi. And yet, you find ways to harm yourselves. Very stupid ways."

Liam smirked. "I won't argue. Have you heard about the Darwin Awards?"

"No, what's that? Wait. I know who Darwin is. He proposed your theories of evolution."

"Yeah."

"What's a Darwin Award, then?"

"Its when someone sort of...takes themselves out of the gene pool, so that humans can, in theory, evolve to be better, so when someone dies a really stupid way, they get an unofficial Darwin Award. If I had a phone, I'd show you."

"You would show me people dying in stupid ways? How morbid of you." I didn't know if I should be proud of him or not.

"No, but there are compilations of stories and stuff. And then they say people who almost die doing stupid stuff get Darwin Awards. _That_ they have videos of."

"So you just sit and look at other Normals almost dying?"

"Yeah," Liam laughed. He looked about and spied the remote, then turned on the tv. "It's a smart TV! Here!" He went to Youtube and pulled up a video. He looked at me. "I promise, its funny."

"How is it funny?"

"Think of magic, and people who wield it."

"Yeah?"

"Then think of people doing stupid shit with magic."

"It happens."

"But they do it to themselves, despite common sense."

I grinned.

"See, I told you," he selected a clip and pressed play. The first clip showed a man with very fluffy, curly hair trying to light a piece of paper on fire. He went to scratch at his face with the same hand that held a live blowtorch and set his hair on fire.

"His hair is on fire!" I pointed to the screen. Liam laughed. "He doesn't fucking know? How do you not know that your hair is on fire?" The man realized his hair was on fire after a few seconds, and looked displeased when his hand came back from his hair with what was sure to be the ash of his burned away hair.

"It gets better," Liam said. The clip changed to a man servicing the undercarriage of a car...with only a plank of wood propping up the car. Liam grinned over at me.

It did get better.

...

"You needn't drive me anywhere," I said, even as I followed Liam to the school's parking structure. I didn't even know they had a parking structure.

Liam had one of my bags slung over his shoulder. He turned to look at me. "Then why are you still following me?"

"You've got my most important bag!" I motioned to it, or would have, if I hadn't had my other two bags in tow. "Its got my watches, and my shoes."

"Maybe I'll sell them off and get a new car," he joked.

I frowned and hurried to catch up with him. "That isn't funny. Some of those watches are antiques. Besides, some don't tell time."

"What do they tell then?"

"Magic...type...things," I floundered. "Just, which one is your car?" I looked over at the rows of cars. Although not a lot of Normals went to this school, it seemed that there were enough cars here for the whole student body.

Liam motioned with his chin. "That one."

There was a very standard looking, yet sad, grey mini sedan parked up ahead. It was clearly one of the oldest and more dilapidated cars in the structure. Liam fished for his keys in his pocket and used the key to open the boot. The boot door raised with a little creak, and Liam had to help it raise all the way.

I stared at the car as Liam put my bag in the boot. "I change my mind. Sell the watches and shoes. You need a new car."

Liam laughed. "You haven't even seen the interior yet."

"It gets worse then?"

"Just put your shit in the trunk."

I grumbled, but did as he said. Liam wanted to drive me to the hotel I had booked to make sure I was at least safe until then. He told me I couldn't argue, but I didn't have a ride anyway, so I didn't. He had said this as he had programmed his number into my new phone.

I stood there and looked at my stuff in the boot before he shut the lid. "You know, you really shouldn't leave on your first day of classes."

"What are they going to do, tell the principal?" Liam opened the driver's door and got in. I went to the passenger side and opened the door, and nearly burst out laughing at the amount of duct tape holding everything together. "Just get in!"

I did, and checked to make sure that the seatbelt worked. "Liam. How old is this car?"

"Probably older than me. Why?"

"Does it even work?"

"We'll find out." He turned the key in the ignition and looked as if he were truly worried that it wouldn't start. It did, and he raised his brows at me while sticking a bit of his tongue out with a laugh.

"That isn't funny, Liam. How could your parents send you to a magic school with this...cardboard box on wheels?"

" _Your_ parents sent you to a magic school _without_ a car."

"No they didn't. I just didn't take it."

"Whose fault is that, then?"

"Fucking...cheeky Normal..."

Liam put the thing in reverse, and we drove out of there. I had to 'open sesame' the gates open for him, but then we were off. I spent a good part of the trip setting apps to download on my phone, and told myself to buy a new case as soon as I got the chance. A waterproof and indestructible one.

"So what are you going to do now that you're officially a college dropout? Oh, and I think this is kind of a record. Dropping out before you even attended a class. Most people wait a few weeks."

"I don't know. I've never been to the States, so maybe I'll travel a bit. Maybe I'll just fuck around in California. I heard they're not so horrible to gays."

Liam was quiet for a second. "So you're actually _gay_ gay."

I looked up at the road ahead of us, then to him. "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me you're a homophobe."

"No, not at all."

"Well, no one ever asks straight people if they're a _straight_ straight."

"They should." Liam looked over at me. "What? Its only fair."

"Suddenly you're interested in tit for tat in the LGBTQIA-whatever community?"

"It's only fair if you think about it. Straight sexuality is the normalized sexuality, but that doesn't make it more normal. It makes it the more common one."

"Alright then, are you a _straight_ straight?"

Liam's eyes widened, as if he truly thought I wouldn't come back with that question.

"You aren't straight?" My eyes widened behind my sunglasses for a bit, and I looked at my phone again. "Could've fooled me."

"What makes you say that?"

"You and your pining for Mia. Oh Mia, snuggling up with her new jock boyfriend. Oh Mia, this is the twentieth pink bikini she's worn this summer! Oh Mia, my first and only love!"

"I never said any of that."

"Oh. Um...Oleander told me." I could feel Liam bristle. "I swear! I didn't even ask! Plus, you leave your phone open to her Instagram all the time. Or you did."

"We've known each other two whole days. I should dump you on the side of the road and make you walk."

"I don't mind walking. How far is the hotel?"

"Twenty miles."

"Nevermind. Look. I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that Normals have...different boundaries. You really like your privacy and forget you project."

"That isn't my fault."

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry."

Liam set his jaw, and I was smart to shut up for a while. "I'm not...straight straight."

"Oh?"

"I kissed a boy. When I was twelve."

"You kissed a boy once and you think you aren't straight?"

"I don't know! I only ever dated Mia after that."

"So you're maybe bisexual."

Liam shrugged. "Do you...have to _do things_ to be bi?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm not bi."

"How do you know?"

"Because I really like dick."

"Jesus."

"You asked!"

"You know what I meant!"

I sighed. "I have never, not once, ever, wanted to do anything with women. No kissing, no holding hands, least of all, sex."

"Why not?"

"What...I don't know, Liam! I just didn't want to."

"You never tried."

"No." I saw where he was going with this. "I guess...if you think you'd want to kiss another man, even if you don't do it, you're...bi? I don't know. I'm not the gatekeeper of everything queer."

"You have more experience at it, though."

"Isn't this something you should talk to your parents about? You know, with the birds and the bees?"

Liam laughed. "Me? Talk to my parents about sex?" He scoffed. "I learned about sex in fifth grade, from a pamphlet. Insert peg A into slot B, and slot B did not belong to a guy. I learned everything else from Mia."

"Mia told you about gay sex?"

"No..."

"Then how'd you learn about that."

Liam was quiet. I saw his Adam's apple bob a bit. He cleared his throat. "Porn."

"Porn."

"Yeah, porn."

"Porn isn't real sex, Liam."

"I'm aware. I know things don't magically happen when your pizza delivery guy comes with your pizza, and suddenly everyone loses their clothes."

"Are you tipping them the right amount, then?"

"It doesn't happen that way!"

I laughed.

"It doesn't!"

I calmed and went back to checking my apps. Instagram had installed so I opened it and signed in. "Have you tried?"

"Julian!"

...

After all the epiphanies were over, we ended up at the hotel, a nice Doubletree suite with a king sized bed, a huge bathtub, mini bar, and a television in nearly every corner you'd want one in. I threw my bags onto the bed and whispered a spell to eradicate any bedbugs, one of the few spells Brioni had been kind enough to teach me as a kid.

Liam was looking over the mini bar.

"Want anything?" I asked.

"I can't believe they gave this to you."

"Why not?" I went to the bar and pulled out something called a Corona. I flicked the lid off with a small spell and took a sip. I made a face. "What the hell is this?"

"You have to put a lime in it."

"Are there any limes?"

"No."

I set the drink down on the mini bar counter. "My ID is set to display the proper birth date of every drinking age limit of wherever I go." I pulled out my ID to show him. "Apparently, in California, I am twenty one."

Liam took the ID. "How can I get one of these?"

"Give me your ID."

He handed over his driver's license that had a big red bar stamped on it that said he would be twenty one in three more years. I got my wand out and cast "Sweet sixteen's turned twenty one!" the little piece of plastic. The bar disappeared, and his birth year knocked back a few years. I held up the ID between two fingers; Liam took it and looked at it in awe.

"So now what?" I asked, sitting on the corner of the bed.

"What do you mean?" Liam moved the ID back and forth, as if the spell would only work if seen a certain way.

"I'm assuming you aren't going back to school right now?"

"No, my first class isn't until two."

I checked my phone. It was barely ten. "You hungry?"

"I could eat."

"What's good around here?"

Liam looked up at me. "Ever have Mexican food?"

"Can't say I have."

"C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"It doesn't matter. Its everywhere," he said, smirking. "And I'm making you try _everything_."

....

We ended up at a place that was thankfully open this early, called someone's Casita or something. It was a small diner with brown tiles on the floor, paper flag decorations layered over the walls, and brightly colored murals depicting Mexican villas on the walls. Mariachi music played over the speakers. The waiter wore all black.

"What can I get for you, hermanos?" The waiter asked. His badge said his name was Paulo. He was older than we were, but still young.

"Can I get one of your Corona drinks?" I asked. "With a lime?"

"Sure, let me see your ID."

We produced our magicked IDs.

"A little early for a Corona," Liam said.

"Is it?"

"It's five o' clock somewhere," the waiter said.

"Then I'll have a coke." Liam said.

"Is Pepsi fine?"

"I guess."

"Right. I'll be right back, one Pepsi, one Corona, and some chips and salsa."

"We're actually ready to order," Liam said. He rattled off a bunch of dishes in Spanish, most of which seemed to come with cheese, and at least one had the Spanish word for tongue in it. The waiter nodded to us, I guess able to remember everything Liam had said, and disappeared to leave us be.

Liam grinned at me.

"Are you having me eat tongue?"

"Lengua. Yeah. It's good."

"Then how come you're not eating it?"

"It's not _that_ good."

The waiter returned quickly with a little bowl of red sauce, a bowl of crisps, plus a glass of soda - with ice - and an open bottle of Corona. With a lime wedged in it. Liam reached over and pushed the lime all the way into the glass so it floated in the yellow liquid. "Cheers," he said, holding up his glass.

I held up my bottle and touched it to his glass. "What are we saluting to?"

"Being alive."

"That's always good. How about, cheers to Liam coming to terms with his sexuality?"

"Or we can stick with just being alive." He took a sip of his soda, then picked up one of the crisps, and dunked it into the red sauce. I saw that the sauce had chunks of vegetables in it, so I copied him. The sauce was nicely spicy, and the crisps, nicely crunchy. And seasoned with lime. Liam smiled at me as he chewed.

It was some while later that the waiter began bringing out steaming dishes of food. He set the dishes down and Liam checked to make sure everything he had ordered was there. The waiter left, telling us to enjoy, and Liam began pointing out the different foods. "Tacos, beef, pork, and chicken. Enchiladas, chicken and cheese. Beans, rice, tortilla soup. That is a burrito. That is chile rellano."

"What's this?" I picked up a piece of flat bread with cheese wedged in the middle."

"A quesadilla."

"Kay-sa-dee-ya," I said, rolling the word in my mouth. I took a bite. "Not bad."

"They have no Mexican food in England? At all?"

"I'm sure they do, somewhere. It's just...not what Mother and Father have the cooks serve at home." I eyed what he was eating. It looked to have shrimp. "What's that?"

"Fajitas." He opened a container that had more of the flatbread in it, and then put some of the shrimp and vegetables on his plate in one. He rolled it up and took a bite. "Wanna try?"

"Sure. Hand me a flatbread."

"Tortilla."

"Whatever."

Liam helped me with it, and I found that the...fajitas were actually quite nice. "Now, how much of this is actual Mexican food, and not just the American take of Mexican food?"

"I'm sure it's all Americanized," Liam said, laughing. "Just eat it. You are paying, after all."

"Oh, I am, am I?" I raised my brows. "Well, at least warn me next time we're going out on a date. I'll dress nicer."

Liam blushed.

....

We left after I had, indeed, paid the bill, and after Liam had packed all the food we couldn't eat - which was most of what he had ordered - in little styrofoam containers to go. He was a bit silent as we left, actually, he was silent most of the meal. We got in his car, with him putting the food in the backseat, and he started the car up.

I cleared my throat. "Liam, I feel I may have overstepped a boundary or something, and not known it."

"Oh?"

"If my flirting was...not wanted, I'm sorry. I can be a little heavy handed with it...um...especially when I like someone. I won't do it again, if you don't want. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Liam's hands worked on the steering wheel, and he stared straight ahead. "It's...fine. It didn't bother me."

"Still, I won't do it again. You seem...off."

"I...didn't mind it."

His cheeks turned _red_. He looked to me from the corner of his eye.

Well, if this wasn't a moment as good as any. I stopped myself from moving, though. Normal. Boundaries. They get weird about those things. And I couldn't read him like Oleander could anyway. Better be safe than sorry with what amounted to one of the few friends I actually had.

"Might I kiss you, Liam?"

"You...really want to kiss me?" He scoffed, but it wasn't in malice. His voice was choked.

"I think I do." _I've wanted to since I met you._

Whatever battle Liam was having in his head, something won out. He bit at his lip, his tongue poking at it absently after. "Yeah."

I leaned in. Liam didn't budge. I laughed softly. "Look at me, Liam. I won't bite. Unless you're into that."

"What?" Liam turned to me.

I kissed him.

I caught him by surprise, because his lips were parted a little bit, and he tried to suck in air through his mouth anyway. I chuckled a bit, especially when he didn't kiss me back, and I pulled back.

Liam blinked, but the rest of him was frozen.

"That bad, hmm?"

"I..." Liam blinked again, then thought. He looked to me, then pulled me close by collar, and kissed me back. Whatever laugh I may have given died between us, and he kissed me proper, like a person who'd kissed someone before. His lips were perfect, so perfect. He was perfect. His tongue, the bit of it that touched mine, was perfect.

He parted from me for a bit, and his poor face was flushed. "Um..." he said.

"Um, what?"

"Thanks...for lunch?"

I grinned.

And then, the car exploded.


	13. The Ticket Out

When I woke up, I was staring at one of those oldschool tiled ceilings they liked to put in schools, discount stores, and hospitals. I assumed I wasn't back at high school or at the Dollar Tree, so I decided I had to be at a hospital.

The slide of a plastic tube on my arm told me that I was right.

"Jesus, Scott. Liam's awake."

I shut my eyes and groaned at my mother's voice. I felt her touch my other arm, and I heard people moving around. "Hi Mom. Dad." I reached up to rub my face with my arm that had no tube, and opened my eyes. Mom sat beside me, looking appropriately worried. Dad stood at the end of the bed, hands in pockets, looking like he'd rather be somewhere else, which was typical for Dad. "Uhm...what's going on?"

"Your car had a malfunction, sweetie," Mom said, reaching up to pet through my hair. "It kind of exploded."

"My car?" I looked up at her in confusion.

"I told you that Corolla was a piece of junk," Mom hissed, but not at me.

"What are you mad at me for? He's the one who wanted to buy it."

"You could have sprung at least for a better used car. Given him some money for a down payment?"

I frowned as they argued, and looked around. We were in a hospital, alright, but I couldn't tell if we were in the ER or what. And I began to remember what was going on. The car. Julian and I in the car, with a backseat full of Mexican food.

Julian and I kissing in the car.

"Where's Julian?" I asked it, interrupting their argument. "We were in the car, um, I was taking him to his hotel."

"Sweetie, there was no one in the car with you," Mom said.

"And you weren't in the car. If you'd been in the car, you'd be dead," Dad said.

"No, Julian was with me," I said. I tried to get up by moving my legs, but Mom and Dad both hurried to stop me. "I gotta go find Julian, Mom, stop! Let me go!"

"There was no one else there, Liam," Mom said.

"You need to stay put. They're checking to make sure you don't have a concussion," Dad said.

"Who is?"

"The hospital."

I frowned up at him. "I don't have a concussion. I need to find Julian. Where's my phone?" I checked on myself, but I was wearing only my underwear and a hospital gown.

Mom reached into her purse and pulled out my phone. "Where did you get this phone?"

"My roommate got it for me," I said, reaching for it. She handed it to me with a questionable look. "Um, he kind of accidentally destroyed the other one. Long story." I unlocked the phone and saw that Julian had called me. Three times. I dialed him back and listened to the phone ring.

"We heard that you had been involved in some sort of accident at school," Mom began.

"Hello?" Julian said. "Liam! Liam, is that you?"

"Julian! Thank God!" I looked up at the ceiling in thanks. "What the fuck happened?"

"Language," Dad said.

Julian continued. "I don't know. One minute, I'm in the car with you, the next, I was back here at school. I'm at the dorms. I must've teleported back. I tried calling you...where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital."

"The hospital? What happened? Are you okay?"

"The car exploded or something. They said you weren't there."

"Who said?"

"My Mom and Dad. Are you safe?"

"I think so. I've been here a few hours but no one knows where you are. I saw your list of numbers on the board, so I called a few, but no one picked up."

I looked to Mom. "Did someone try calling you?"

Mom looked at her phone. "Yes, but, a lot of strange numbers call me. I just thought they were telemarketers. Scam calls."

"Ugh," I sighed and returned my attention to Julian. "Okay. Look, I'm going to get out of here and head back, alright? Just stay put. Don't...tempt the school or anything."

"Alright. Oleander is here with me. Do you need us to come get you or anything?"

"No. I'll get an Uber or something."

"Alright...um..."

"What?"

"I'm glad you're okay, Liam. I was worried."

The admission had tingles go through my fingers and toes. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm glad you're okay too." I didn't want to say more in front of Mom and Dad. "I'll call you later, alright."

"Yeah."

I hung up and leaned back on the bed.

"Liam, we're not going to take you back to that school," Mom said.

"What?"

"We realized it was a mistake making you go to a magic school," Mom continued. She looked genuinely worried. "You can come home with us and take a gap year or whatever you need, then you can go to trade school or apprenticeship, or whatever you want."

I looked to Dad. He didn't seem happy about it, but didn't argue either. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, we're serious. We heard about this accident at school, and with the car exploding, well..."

"We heard about the curse," Dad said. "And that it affects your roommate. We don't want you to be rooming with anyone who is cursed. And we don't want you to be going to any school that lets their students face danger like that."

I frowned at them. "I have to go back. I have to see if he is okay." I left out the part where I seemed to be the only one who could help Julian beat the curse. Well, and also, Oleander, but I didn't want to make the situation seem more dire.

"Didn't he sound fine on the phone?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts," Dad said. "As soon as you're cleared with the doctor, you're coming home. We can have the school send you your things by mail."

"But..."

"And we're sorry, sweetie. We should have listened. We just...wanted you to go out and see the world, and experience new things." Mom had that dopey sad look on her face, like she was going to cry, but only because the situation called for it. "We promise we'll do better."

I frowned, but Dad was already excusing himself to go get coffee. I rolled my eyes and laid back in the bed. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms, then remembered something. I grabbed my phone, sent a quick text, then shoved the phone under my leg so Mom couldn't grab it.

The doctor came in, then. "Good news," she said. Dr. Nguyen. "No TBI, no concussion. Just a few cuts and scrapes, singed hairs, and a nasty bruise on your leg."

I immediately checked my eyebrows. They were still there. Mom and the doctor laughed as if I had been a toddler who had just done something really cute. "What about my car?"

"A total loss," Mom said. "The insurance company is probably towing it right now. We'll help you get a new car."

"I'll have the nurse bring you a script for pain medication," the doctor said.

"Nothing narcotic," Mom said. "No opioids."

"Of course not." The doctor left, leaving us alone.

"Who did you text, sweetie?"

"Julian. Um...I asked him to make sure to check out of the hotel, if he wasn't going to stay."

"You didn't pay for this boy's hotel, did you?"

"No." No, I didn't. And I didn't care too much about the hotel, although I would ask him about that later. I hadn't texted him at all. I had texted Mia. The phone buzzed, so I knew she got it. She was my only ticket out of here, now that I was stuck here with Mom and Dad, and I had no idea where my wallet was. I doubt I could sneak off a request to Uber, especially if Mom had my card.

The nurse came back with a prescription that she handed to Mom, and then the nurse helped me out of my IV tube. They left so that I could change into the set of sweats and slippers Mom had for me, which I changed into in the bathroom...with the door cracked. I didn't trust bathrooms anymore. Check out took a little while, and then I was in the back seat of my parent's SUV, headed home with them.

I checked Mia's message on the way, then shut my eyes and tried to sleep. I felt exhausted, and despite the doctor saying my brain was fine, I had a raging headache. I was kind of glad to get home and head to my own bed.

I slept like the dead.

....

I woke up to a heated argument happening downstairs, later that evening. It was dark out, and I recognized the voices immediately. Mom and Mia.

And Julian.

I got up and had mind to brush my teeth and wash my face before I hurried downstairs. Mom and Dad were in the formal living room with Mia and Julian. Mia was arguing with Mom, while Julian stood there, wearing a suit (of course) looking like he was nursing a hangover. He even had his sunglasses on.

He spied me coming down the stairs. His eyebrows raised, and he looked like he had to stop himself from running over. Mia did no such thing, though, and ran over to give me a hug. "Jesus Christ, Liam, what the hell? Your car exploded?"

"Yeah, must've finally given up on life," I said, hugging her back. The hug was chaste as hell, and she let me go so I could go over to Julian. I pulled him into a hug, even though he looked like he'd rather (for once) keep a professional boundary between us. "I'm glad you're safe, man."

"Yes, I had the same sentiment," he said, smiling at me. "We were just trying to convey to your parents why you should return to Temecula Valley."

"He's not going back there," Dad said.

"I have to go back," I said.

"Why do you _need_ to go back?" Mom said.

Need.

"The place is cursed," Dad said. "And no offense, Mr....?"

"Shadowcut," Julian said.

"Right. But, the curse affects you specifically. We don't want our son dying because of something that isn't his problem."

"Of course not," Mia said. "Nothing is a legit problem until it affects you personally."

Dad blinked in confusion her way.

"I want to go back," I said. "I...weirdly like it there." That was a lie. I didn't really want to go back, and this was my ticket out of there. But I couldn't leave Julian to face the curse alone. Not now. Not after...we'd kissed.

"There's another reason," Julian said, clearing his throat. "It appears that the explosion in your car wasn't actually an explosion."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems we were wrong about the curse. Well, right, and wrong. It managed to get to me while we were off campus, and like you said, it evolved." He looked a bit embarrassed, and he fidgeted awkwardly. "It seems what we thought was an explosion was more like...the forceful removal of all my magic."

"What? Are you sure?"

Julian pulled out his wand and pointed it toward a vase of flowers on the coffee table that looked a few days old. He whispered a spell, but nothing happened. The flowers remained as wilted as they were before.

"I don't see how that is any of my son's problem," Dad said.

'Well, that's just the thing, isn't it? Magic has to go somewhere." Julian looked at me, then offered me the handle of his wand.

"You think I...got your magic?"

"It's a theory."

"That's impossible. I'm not a magic person."

"Just try it, Liam," Mia said. She made a motion with her head and eyes that told me to take the damn wand, so I did. I didn't know if this was part of a plot to get me to go back or not. Maybe Julian was faking not having magic, and was going to do something to make it look like I _had_ magic, so I had no choice to go back to school.

I took the wand and pointed it at the flowers. "Uh...what do I do?"

"Tell it to look lively," Julian said.

"Um...look lively?"

Something happened. It felt like when you hit your elbow on something, and your whole nerve goes weird. I jumped at the sensation, but a shot of red _something_ came down my hand, into the wand, and out the end, into the flowers. The flowers not only sprang back to life, but grew extra buds and leaves, which then bloomed.

I blinked and looked at my hand, and the wand, in awe.

My very genuine look of surprise - if this was a hoax or not - seemed to catch everyone off guard, even Julian. I looked at them all, then at the wand. Spooked, I tried to shove it back at Julian, but he pushed it back towards me. "I don't want it."

"Just...hang onto it."

"I can't...this is too weird."

"Just...put it in your pocket."

"No, just...please, take it. Please."

Julian sighed and took the wand. "Well, as you can see, Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez, your son is now...magical. He needs to return."

"You made it look like he was doing magic," Mom said, pointing to Julian. "Somehow."

"I assure you, I did not."

"It's some kind of trick," Dad said. "You did a trick, right?"

"It didn't feel like a trick," I muttered. My arm still felt weird.

"If there's one thing I wouldn't fake, it would be my ability to do magic," Julian said, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "As much as I dislike being at Temecula Valley, and as much as I have wished for a Normal life, magic is all I know. And I wouldn't be so irresponsible as to heap it onto some unsuspecting Normal, hoax or not, just to get them to come back to a cursed magic school."

"Can't you just...take your magic back?" Mom asked.

"If I knew how it got transferred, I'd try. But as far as I know, there's no spell to make this happen. And...now I feel that if I don't go back, if _we_ don't go back, the curse will continue to attack me, and this transfer can't be reversed."

I understood where Julian was going now. "I'm leaving," I said. "With them." I had everything I had brought with me, save for my wallet. I held out my hand for it. "My wallet."

"You aren't going back."

"Yes, I am. I'm not going to let Julian face this curse with no magic."

Julian's mouth made a soft smile.

Mom and Dad argued about it some more, and in the end, Mia, Julian, and I left the house with no keys, and no wallet. Mia's car sat outside, a nice Prius, and I climbed into the back seat with Julian.

"I guess I don't need a license if I have no car," I said, as we got underway.

"I'll show you how to make a new one," Julian said.

"You make fake IDs?" Mia asked.

I ignored her and looked to Julian, who had taken off his sunglasses. "How did you do that? The thing with the wand and the flowers? It felt real."

Julian's mouth quivered, I think. He blinked and looked away. "I didn't do that," he said softly. "You did."

"But I saw it. I felt it. You even made it turn red."

"That was you," Julian said, meeting my eyes. He scoffed. "This isn't a ruse, Liam. The school took my power."

I blinked dumbly.

"It gave it to you."


	14. Going Viral

It was days like this that I wished the magical world believed in psychology, and thus, had therapists, because I felt I sure needed one.

Watching Liam and his _ex_ giddily try out rudimentary spells with my wand in the common area of the dorm of the magical school I went to hit me in a weird way. I was angry about it, but not sure why. I know I felt anger. I also felt relief, I think, although I didn't want to feel relief. But also, I felt...like I wanted to go over there, push myself between the two of them, and kiss Liam as if to say, "You had your chance. He's mine now."

Liam pointed my wand at his phone and tried a levitation spell. The phone shot up fast, then began to drop. Mia hurriedly caught it.

"Please do not break the phone I literally just bought," I said from my lounge on the loveseat.

"Sorry," Liam said. He cleared his throat and set the wand down next to the phone on the coffee table. "Thank you. Again. For the phone."

 _And for my magic_. It felt really weird not to have magic. I never realized how I lived with it until it was gone. It was empty and still in my body, and for some reason, I was keenly aware of my heartbeat. It was how I first realized I was without magic. Or rather, the first clue. I first realized, I think, when I tried to spell myself into a car in the parking structure to try and drive back to find Liam at the Mexican restaurant.

Not only did my magic not work, but the owner of the car saw me trying to break into it, and I got ran off back to my dorm.

I shrugged and pretended like I didn't care.

"Hey," Liam said. He went to sit next to me, so I moved my feet so he could. "We'll get it switched back. We'll figure it out."

"You sure you don't want to keep it and just keep levitating things?"

Liam smiled that kissable smile of his. "I'm pretty sure."

"First, make me one of those IDs," Mia said. "Then give him his magic back."

"If I knew how to do it, I would," Liam said. He looked to me. "I didn't _mean_ to take it."

"I know," I cleared my throat and sat up. "I just didn't think the curse could get us off campus."

"But it is definitely evolving," Liam said. "It somehow took your power and gave it to me. But its a weird move. What would be the point of doing that?"

"To get me to stay, perhaps? It did somehow suck me back here."

"But then, wouldn't it anticipate me coming back?"

"Maybe it hoped you wouldn't."

"Anticipate? Hope?" Mia scoffed. "You make it sound like the curse is a person."

"Well, all curses are set _by_ a person," I said. "And if it is an ancient one, which it is, and if it is completely the worst and most unbeatable curse there is, _which it is,_ surely it is some sort of curse the magic world has never seen before. I wouldn't put it past it to be able to evolve."

"But still, why wouldn't it just take your power if it could remove it?" Liam looked to me. His eyes shifted from my eyes to my lips and stayed there for a second too long. "I thought it went after the most powerful students of each incoming class, _for_ their power."

"Maybe it likes the thrill of the hunt," I sighed and stood. Having Liam so close was unnerving, especially with Mia here. I didn't know the extent of what we were, if we were anything. All we'd done was kiss. Twice. In the car, very romantically, before the car had exploded...landing Liam in the hospital and me without my magic.

"What's thrilling about hunting a magician who can't do magic?" Mia asked.

I sneered. I couldn't help it.

"She's right. Something doesn't add up." Liam scratched the back of his head. He grabbed up his notebook, which was still on the pile of papers on the coffee table, and picked up his pen. He scratched out the detail that stated that the curse couldn't reach me off campus.

"What's that?" Mia asked.

"A list of what we know about the curse." He handed it out for her even as I was reaching for it to prevent her from looking at it.

"You don't really know a lot about it."

"We've only been at this for three days now."

"Haven't you talked to anybody? People who knew the other Chosen Ones?"

"Yes," Liam and I said, together.

"Looked for any list of who they were or how they were killed?"

"Yes," we said again. We exchanged glances.

"Has anyone ever tried to run away and not come back?"

"Yes," again.

Mia looked between the two of us. She raised a brow but continued her inquiry. "And this is all we have?"

"We?" I asked. "What do you mean _we?_ "

"You do want my help, don't you?"

"I didn't ask for your help. We means Liam and I." I motioned between Liam and myself with my finger.

"I'm confused then. Why'd you have me come here if you didn't need my help?"

Liam raised his hand a bit. "I asked for her help."

"You what?"

"I asked for her help. Mia is smart. And she's one of my best friends."

"I thought she was your ex."

"Someone's jealous," Mia said in a singsong voice.

"I am not jealous of a Normal who ditches her boyfriend for bikini season."

Mia scoffed, laughing.

"Julian," Liam said it with warning in his voice. "We need all the help we can get."

"Does your boyfriend know you're here?"

"No."

"Julian!"

I threw up my hands and plopped down on the other couch, away from Liam.

"Aaron doesn't know you're here?" Liam asked.

"No! He doesn't need to know everything about me."

"No, but I'd like it if he knew you were hanging out with your ex."

"Why do you care?"

"Because I don't want a 6'5" basketball player to come down here, angry at me, because his girlfriend is over here, and he doesn't know!"

"Aaron isn't one of those toxic masculine guys."

"Just let him know you're here."

"Fine," Mia conceded with an exaggerated raise of her brows. She pulled out a very sparkly phone and typed a message. A chime let us know it was sent. "Sent. God, Liam. You're so scared all of a sudden. What's your problem?"

"Almost dying in a flooded bathroom?" I said, putting up one finger. "Almost dying in a car explosion?" I lifted another finger.

"Getting heaped with a bunch of magical energy that makes you feel like you're jumping out of your skin," Liam said. I put up a third finger.

"Your boyfriend being the Chosen One?" Mia said.

Liam blushed. "He's...not my boyfriend."

"I'm not stupid, Liam. I know how you act when you're in something."

"Something," I said.

"You get all goofy and weird, and clingy."

"You mean the blushing and the stammering bit?" I asked.

"Yeah," Mia said.

"He...isn't my boyfriend," Liam said.

"Yeah. We haven't actually discussed what we are, have we?" I asked.

"So there is something?" Mia gave a wide mouthed exclamation.

"There isn't anything!" Liam flailed out his arms. I tried not to feel hurt at that.

"Please. You're both doing that thing where you don't stand close to each other on purpose, you don't look at each other...it took him six months to look me in the eye."

"That is not true."

"Well, there isn't anything, as Liam said, so, there's no need to look into it further," I said. "So, Mia, do you have something of value to add to all this, or do you have your own school to get back to...?"

"Yeah, I do have something to add," Mia shifted her weight and put her hand on her hip. "You both need to step it up and use the tools you have to solve this. You act like this is some ancient school existing in the 1600s or something. You have modern technology at your fingertips. Someone out there must know something more, and you can find them."

"What, through Facebook?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, should I hashtag 'helpmeImcursed' on Twitter?" I asked. "See who has the best response amongst all the trolls?"

"No. I don't just mean use social media. I mean use _you_ ," Mia pointed to me. "If I search you on Youtube, hundreds of videos come up. Interviews, paparazzi, even that clip of you on the roof, saving that guy."

"Owen," I said.

"You can use this to your advantage."

"Yeah, you _are_ kind of a celebrity," Liam said, looking to me. I met his eyes. He looked away.

"Start your own channel. Record yourself being the Chosen One of Temecula Valley. Talk about being at school, what you're wearing, who you know, what is happening. Tell the world what you've tried so far, to beat the curse. Get people interested. Maybe then, someone will speak up."

"Or we'll get flooded with trolls," I said.

"Maybe. Or maybe people will speak up. Yeah, there's going to be people out there who want to watch people get hurt for fun. But there's also people out there who are just waiting for someone or something to get fanatic about."

"She's right," Liam said. "Think of all the people who rush to other celebrity's aids when scandals break out."

"So you want me to make a scandal?"

"You kind of already are a scandal," Mia said.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the heir to a huge magical family fortune," Mia said, counting off on her own fingers. "Who nearly failed out of magic high school or whatever they call it in England, who got a pity invite to Temecula Valley just to be the next doomed Chosen One, who dates Normals. Your parents can't stand you, your sister can't stand you, you have no magic friends..."

"Hold on a moment," I raised my hand to stop her. "How the fuck do you know all this about me?"

"Everything about you is on the web. People do opinion pieces on you."

"But how do _you_ know? Do you just go on your phone and consume everything you can about Julian Shadowcut?"

"Ever since Liam got accepted here."

"Bloody hell."

"Julian," Liam said. "I think we should go with it. It wouldn't hurt and to be fair, you could use some clout here."

"Clout?"

"People avoid you," Liam continued. "I didn't want to say anything, but they kind of...try to stay out of your way."

"Because they don't want to die."

"Yeah. We can't get people to help us as it is. This could probably get people interested in helping."

"Not everyone has a bad sense of self preservation like you, Liam."

"Do you think Liam would care if you weren't roommates?" Mia asked. "I don't see any other Normals of this school jumping to help you."

"Is that true?" I looked to Liam. "You're only helping me because we're stuck together?"

Liam balked.

"Well. You don't have to, alright? Wrong place and wrong time aside, no need to put yourself in danger for me. I am, after all, a walking scandal." I scoffed at them both and headed into the bedroom. I shut the door behind me.

I collapsed onto my bed and groaned. I had no luggage with me (the hotel was forwarding it and it still hadn't gotten here) so I was still wearing yesterday's clothes. I was tired, and felt weirdly fatigued, as if all the energy within me had been sapped. I guess it had, but I didn't think that my own bodily reserves relied so much on magic.

I could hear Liam and Mia talking, but I couldn't tell what they were saying. Just as well, I supposed. If Liam had only ever wanted a kiss, in the name of experimentation after we had been talking about queer stuff, who was I to blame him? Aside from the fact that he currently housed all my magic ability within his body, he owed me nothing.

But it was a good kiss.

I mean, it wasn't the best kiss. He was unsure, and we didn't actually spend that much time kissing. But it was Liam. Cute, smart, impossibly Normal Liam, who looked as good in joggers as he did in a button-down and jeans. The boy with the impossible eyelashes, and the pouty lips, and the really weird knowledge of all things Normal that I would have never guessed...

I whined to myself and wrapped my head in a pillow as if that could stop the thoughts from getting to me. But then I thought of what Mia had said. How Liam got all awkward and weird when he liked someone. How he liked to cling. What did that mean? Did he just like to be near someone, always? Or was he actually bodily clingy, wanting to be as close as bodily possible? I wouldn't mind either, actually. It almost drove me crazy when he had hugged me at his parent's house. I wondered what it would be like if he were here, now, in bed with me, just...alongside me.

Close.

Things quieted down outside, and then the door quietly opened and shut. I peeked out from my pillow head prison to see Liam walk to his bead and sit. "We should talk."

"Then talk," I said, my words muffled by the pillow.

"I don't...want you to think that I am only helping you because we're roommates. I'm more invested than that."

"Noted."

"And...I mean, I don't want to talk about this stuff in front of Mia. She'd have a field day with it but...you're not a scandal. To me. I don't care about all that celebrity shit."

I sighed and sat up, letting the pillow fall to the side. My hair hung limply in my face, so I brushed it back. "Liam, I get it. We'd been talking about queer things, and you had it in mind to try if you actually liked guys. I just happened to be there. I'm not going to propose to you or anything."

Liam shook his head to himself. "You act like it didn't mean anything."

"Did it?"

"It...I mean, I think so. Enough for Mia to notice."

"Mia seems like someone who looks for things that aren't always there."

"But she's right."

I shifted, pulling my legs off the bed so that I sat facing him. "So it did mean something."

"I think so. I guess?" Liam ran his hands through his hair. "But...I don't think we should...try anything. Not right now. Not with all this happening."

I snorted. "Convenient." I got up and paced a bit. "Say what you really mean, Liam."

"Its just confusing, okay? You have a curse on you. I have your magic. We don't know when the next attack will be, and we _do_ need to find a way to get around the curse, if not beat it." Liam looked pained for a bit. "I think we should focus on...trying to save your life before we focus on...on..."

"Boy on boy stuff?" I said. "Kissing? Making deep and passionate love in ways that won't affect your delicate sensibilities? Just admit that you're afraid of this." I motioned between us. "Don't make an excuse."

"What do you want me to do, Julian?"

"Just tell the truth!"

"Yeah, okay, it's a little scary! And sudden! I just...just need some time? I don't know. But I think we should focus on breaking the curse anyway."

I rolled my eyes.

"It won't matter anyway if you're dead!"

We were both quiet after that. I kicked at the carpet with my shoe.

"I just...I do like you, Julian," Liam said. "But its not the right time. And I don't want to lead you on. Its only fair."

I sighed. "Yes, that would make you the more mature one out of both of us, wouldn't it?" It held no malice, though. Liam was right, as much as I was so desperate for any sign of affection from him.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be. You're right. So is your girlfriend."

Liam gave me an annoyed glare.

"Let's...play it to Youtube. And Twitter. And whatever else there is. If it keeps me from getting killed, and getting us one step closer to snogging in the backseat of another car, I'll try anything."

Liam's mouth parted. I gave him a wink, then went to the bedroom door. I opened it and shouted outside. "It's fine now, mummy and daddy have stopped fighting!'

Mia popped her head in. "I've already got a Youtube channel set up, and some ideas. We're going to need a ring light, some good microphones, and a camera."

"Right," I said, digging into my pocket. I fished out a credit card and held it out for her. "I'd say go easy on it, but I don't pay the bill."

Mia grabbed the card with too much glee than what was healthy, but what did I know.

I was standing in two-day old Ferragamo jeans.


	15. Conspiracy Theories

This was all too much, too soon, too fast.

I was sitting there watching Julian do a video for Youtube, which involved him going around the dorm, narrating about his life here. He pretended like he was giving a grand tour of the White House or something, and really knew how to play to the camera. He knew just how to play off the messed up beds and the mess on the coffee table. He made a point to mention how the mini fridge was painfully devoid of beer, as the legal drinking age was much lower in England.

"Did you know that you have to add limes to American beer for it to taste good?" He'd said. He then went off about how he had a proper Corona at a Mexican restaurant, and how the lime actually _did_ make it better. He then turned the camera, his iPhone, as the other equipment had only just been ordered, on me. "Oh look, here's my flatmate, Liam, say hi, Liam!"

I gave what was sure to be an awkward wave. Julian turned the camera back to himself. "That's Liam. You might recognize him from the bathroom video. In fact, if it wasn't for Liam, the curse probably would have killed me. Did you know that door hinges have pins that you have to take out in order to get the door off the wall?"

"Julian, most Normals know that," I said. The camera got flashed to me again, and I put my hand up. Julian took the camera away.

"Well, I did not know about pin hinges." He then went on about the tale of escaping the bathroom, adding flourishes and embellishments when needed.

For someone so against starting a Youtube channel, he sure seemed a natural at it.

Mia sidled up to me as Julian continued. "I told you this was a good idea."

"I didn't think I was going to be in the videos."

"You're his roommate. You're like his co-star. A romantic co-star."

"There's nothing there, Mia."

"Then what were you two talking about?"

"I was just...convincing him to do the channel."

"Sure. C'mon. Tell me the truth."

"So you can put it all over Twitter?"

"I don't even have a Twitter."

"Mia, no. Its none of your business." I frowned. "How'd Aaron take it?"

"Aaron doesn't care that I'm here. He's secure."

I shrugged.

Julian circled back to us. "And here is the lovely Mia! Don't tell anybody, but she and Liam used to be a thing..."

I tried my best not to facepalm while Mia smiled for the camera. She gave me a hug. I didn't hug her back.

...

Despite how disturbed I was by Mia and Julian's sudden and very fake friendship, I found myself wishing for at least a tiny bit of excitement as I went to my class for the day, College English. It was a small class, comprised of all the freshman Normals at the school, and a handful of magical types who were mostly the Normal's mentors. I hoped that the professor would be magical, but they were, sadly, a very boring and uninteresting Normal named Professor Brown.

I slid down in my seat. The class size was so small that instead of the theater style seats proposed in other college brochures, we sat at individual desks. I sat next to a black kid with big gold glasses and a plaid shirt over a tee. I thought I should be excited to see a Normal, and to be in such a boring setting after the craziness of the past three days, but I suddenly felt like I had plopped back into high school, especially with Professor Brown sitting a stack of syllabi on one kid's desk and instructing them to "take one and pass it down."

"Where's your mentor?" The kid next to me said as the stack came to him. He took a packet and then held the stack forward for the next person.

"I don't think he's interested in learning how to write college essays," I said. I held out my hand. "Liam."

"I know. I mean, Carter," he shook my hand.

"You know?"

"Your mentor posted a video this morning. You looked about as thrilled then as you do now."

"Its been a rough couple of days."

"Yeah, everyone was talking about the bathroom video yesterday, in Algebra," he motioned around him to the other Normals. I looked, and saw that they had been looking at me or whispering amongst themselves. "Pin hinges. Who knew?"

"Apparently, not magicians or elves."

"I'm surprised you're still here," Carter said, raising a brow to me. "I would have left, or asked for a different mentor or roommate or something. He _is_ the Chosen One, right?"

"Yeah, but...it's only the second day."

"My point, exactly." Carter motioned with his head to the back of the room where the magical types were sitting in a clump, talking with heads huddled. There were elves, a half giant, and a regular looking albeit thin guy who wore glasses that were way too big for his head. He looked like a young Bill Gates. "See that guy? The Normal looking one?"

"Yeah?"

"That's Tim. My mentor. He's a fucking werewolf." Carter gave me a wide eyed look that said that he was not too keen on having a werewolf as a roommate. "My counselor told me that the werewolves get locked up on full moons, but I've already put in a request for a new roommate."

"He hasn't hurt you, though. And if they have a system to keep werewolves from attacking..."

"I'm not going to trust a school that lets their Chosen Ones die every year with my safety. Your video was actually what got me to put in the request. They did nothing to protect you. And don't think they couldn't do it. Its a magical school. The whole point of the school is to teach magic students how to do magic. They have to know how to protect Normals from the curse."

"Do you think they really do, though?"

"Think about it. If their students, specifically, one student is so powerful that the school's curse wants to kill them every year for their power, surely the staff here would be more powerful than the students? How can you teach what you don't know?" Carter gave me a nod as if he had just tried to - and had succeeded in - convince me that the moon landing was fake.

"Wait...how do _you_ know that the curse wants to kill the students for their power?"

"I took the Hall of Chosen Ones tour before you and your mentor destroyed it with the bathroom." He messed with his phone, then handed it to me. It was a gallery of photos. "I took photos of everything."

"Holy shit," I muttered. I scrolled through the photos. Julian and I had only gotten through the first few displays before Julian had vomited. "You've gone through them all?"

"Yeah. This place is messed up."

"Can you tell me anything about what you know?"

"Yeah, but not here," Carter took the phone from me. "The curse evolves. I don't want it to know what I know. Not that I know anything it doesn't know. But I don't want it to know that, right?"

I raised a brow. "Riiiight. Then where?"

"Off campus? The curse can't get students off campus."

"I don't think that's true."

"How do you know?"

"We were attacked off campus."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Pretty sure. I ended up in the hospital."

"Was your mentor with you?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's meet without him. There's a McDonald's down the road. Let's go after class."

"Sounds good."

I sat back in my seat, as Professor Brown had started writing on the whiteboard.

"Modern language association," Professor Brown said. "MLA. The most standard essay type, and unless you're going into a specialized field, it will be your new best friend for the next four years." They turned to view the room and motioned towards the magical types in the back of the room. "Yes, that means you. I've been getting a lot of complaints about sonnets and epics from professors in upper division classes. Oh, and if you turn in anything on a clay tablet or in elvish, it automatically gets docked ten points. All submissions must be properly translated _before_ you turn them in!"

Carter and I tried our best not to laugh as the magical types groaned in protest.

....

Carter looked at my notebook between bites of chicken nuggets, then, without a word, pulled out a pen and began writing his own notes. "You aren't wrong, but I don't know why you crossed out the campus part."

"Well, I told you, we got attacked. My car got destroyed." And because of this, I carried that elven point with me everywhere now. And on Julian's insistence, his wand.

"But are you sure that it was the curse? Maybe it was something else."

"Could be." I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know enough about magic to know if it had come from somewhere else. And Julian knows a lot about magic, and didn't seem to think it came from somewhere else." I paused. "But then again, apparently Julian isn't the best student of magic. I don't even think he went to classes today." When I'd left him, he and Mia were still plotting their Youtube campaign.

"Magic always has a source, and it usually can be traced. Spells can be complex, but its only a matter of time before they can be traced to their source. If it is worth doing so, that is. Most little spells, people don't care about. People don't care about tracing who set a teapot boiling or who instant-cooked a batch of cookies. But if someone gets hurt or murdered, tracing a spell is pretty important."

"Then how come they can't trace the curse here?" I'd ordered a Big Mac and a water, so I took a bite or two.

"I don't think its an actual curse," Carter said, pointing his pen at the notebook, leaving little dots as he did so. "Or, its more than one. Or, if it is an actual, singular curse, it hasn't been properly traced."

"You...think everyone is lying about the curse?"

"Why wouldn't they? Its the most exciting thing about this school. The only people who come here with any notoriety are the Chosen Ones. And Chosen Ones beat curses at other schools every year. This school is boring, mundane, and allows Normals just to meet its quota to be accredited. They need something in order to get curious magicals interested in attending, even if they do end up transferring somewhere else. I looked it up. There's a seventy percent - or higher - transfer rate. Fewer than twenty percent of freshmen graduate here. Either they drop out, transfer, or, in the case of the Chosen Ones, they die."

"How did you get this info?"

"You didn't look up the rating of the school before you got here?"

"I didn't really have a choice on where to go, so I didn't even think to."

"Well, then, you don't know that most of the people who are actually acquainted with the Chosen Ones _choose_ to stay here," Carter said, leaning forward. He pushed his gold glasses up his nose. "They don't want to, but they end up staying, and most, if not all, end up graduating here."

"So there's at least three sets of people who knew previous Chosen Ones here, at the campus, right now."

"Right."

"Julian was only introduced to one set. Marissa's friends, Oleander and Amanda. Why do you think they'd stay?"

"I don't know. I haven't met any of them. I know they're still enrolled here, though, and I know their names." He met my eyes. "Don't ask how I found them."

"Alright," I said, slowly. "Back to this conspiracy. It's a nice theory, but, I don't really want to believe that the school - as in, the staff - are participating with the curse in some way to kill students."

"It certainly would open them up to investigation and loss of accreditation."

"Do you have any proof?"

"No...its all speculation."

"I mean, I appreciate it, but we really can't go off speculation."

"Okay, then, how about this," Carter dug around in his messenger bag and produced his map. He unfolded it, and I immediately saw that it was marked up with different colors of markers. "The blue marks are for where previous Chosen Ones died. Red marks are for previous traps set and escaped."

"What are the green marks?"

"Where Chosen Ones died who were not in the Hall. I mean, the ones I could find. I thought at first that they only put the more interesting Chosen Ones in the Hall because of lack of space, but there are thousands of Chosen Ones, and the ones not featured in the Hall are not featured anywhere. Not in school records, not in birth or death records, nothing. Its like they never existed."

"But they're human," I said. "There has to be records."

"None. No socials, if born in America. Nothing. I checked Ancestry, Facebook, everything. Even the news. Being accepted as a Chosen One is a big deal, right? Usually there's some sort of coverage about it. Sure, you'll find some stuff mentioning that the Chosen Ones of Temecula Valley end up dead, and that the curse is unbeatable, and maybe some details on how they died, but if a name is mentioned, they aren't real names. Its like the school eats them alive." He sat back in his seat and downed a McNugget. "I don't know about you, but I don't think I could keep working here if kids keep getting killed."

I nodded and looked down at the map. I began to notice a pattern. "There's no deaths in the Normal dorms."

Carter dunked another nugget in sauce. "Oh yeah. I think because its a newer building. Its not part of the original school."

"But this part is also not a part of the original building," I said, pointing to a wing of the building, the greenhouses. One blue mark was there, and one green. No red ones. "This is where Xairu died. The building had been completely destroyed. If it had been rebuilt so that someone else died there, then it also wasn't original."

"Yeah, yeah," Carter said. "You're right." He fished into his bag for a tablet. He pulled up an app with notes. "Yeah. A guy named Damion Alberts died there, seven years ago. He wasn't in the Hall."

"The curse doesn't want people to know that someone died there after Xairu."

"Or, the staff." Carter smirked. "I have a class in an hour, but this sounds more interesting. Let's go check it out."

"Can we bring Julian?"

"Do you think that's a good idea? Where he goes, the curse is gonna be onto him."

I frowned. "You're right. It's probably not a good idea." I bit my lip. I didn't like not letting Julian know what we were up to, but his presence would probably cause more harm than good. "Alright. Let's go."

Carter grinned and began stuffing his stuff back into his bag, along with the remainder of his chicken nuggets, but not before putting one in his mouth to go. "Let's do this."


	16. Oh Mia, Oh Mi-a

"The comments on this video are _hil_ arious," Mia hissed. We sat in the top row of the classroom - Forensics For Magic - as the rest of the magical students filled in the theater-like seating. There was a stage at the front of the room with a standard-looking desk, but the desk was surrounded by shelves of books, things in jars, and even a six foot quartz crystal. Three huge screens were hung above the desk. The center one showed a close up of the top of the desk, and the two that flanked it showed a Powerpoint slide with the title of the class, and the professor's name: Professor Sozzagoz.

The professor was a gargoyle, complete with wings, horns, and tail. His skin was a living stone, but that didn't stop him from wearing clubmaster style glasses, a button down, knee trousers, and a tie.

"People want to know who you're dating." Mia looked to me. I shrugged. "Well, are you and Liam dating?"

"No." It wasn't a lie. Mia frowned and began typing on her phone.

"They want to know what classes you're taking. You should probably film something about that." Mia raised her brows. "They want to know if _I'm_ a magician."

"You're not." I picked up my phone, but didn't start a video. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't you have your own school?"

"Mine doesn't start until September," she said. "I am on a quarter system."

"Lucky me," I muttered. Despite what was portrayed on the last video, I didn't really want to spend my day with Mia, or with any Normal, really.

Well, that was a lie. I did wish Liam was here. Or I did but I didn't. I had pretended that his little talk hadn't disappointed me at the time, but I hadn't really been prepared for it to disappoint me. I'd barely gotten a glimpse of my crush on him before it was actualized and then...poof. It was taken away.

Liam didn't want to pursue anything. He didn't really owe me a reason, but I felt like his reasons weren't what he said. I felt like...I'd scared him. I'd come onto him too strong, too soon. Or...he wasn't prepared to confront the potentially bi part of himself. And whatever could have been was the unlucky sacrifice to that normal yet unfortunate circumstance.

I told myself that I didn't want a Normal trapped with me when the curse started up again, if it would. That meant Mia. We - Liam and I - had hypothesized that the curse needed a time to recharge before attacking again, but two attacks, one right after another, with barely a day apart, made that theory null and void. 

"Should I even start a video? Its not like I can do anything in this class." I hoped that by sitting in the back, the professor would ignore me, as would the rest of the students. Liam had taken my wand.

It was useless to me now.

"You can pretend," Mia said. She motioned to the gargoyle professor. "People need to see this!" She was fascinated by the guy. "He's kinda hot."

I shook my head with a laugh. "Gargoyles _are_ kind of rare, even in the magic world. They like to keep to the shadows. And their buildings."

"See! This is important!"

"Fine." I unlocked my phone and started a video, framing both Mia and I in the shot. She gave a winning smile. "Mia and I are here at my first class of the day, Forensics for Magic, with Professor Sozzagoz." I turned the phone so that the professor was in frame. He pushed his glasses up on his broad, hooked nose with one talon, and I was able to catch a glare of disapproval pointed our way before I turned the phone back our way. Mia giggled. "Gargoyles are quite camera shy, as you can see."

"Didn't you say that gargoyles like to stay on their buildings?"

"Yeah. They're pretty protective and like to stick to their own. You didn't know?"

"Well, being a Normal, I don't know that much about the magical world. I think a lot of your viewers may not know a lot either."

"Oh, well, in that case, gargoyles are magical beings carved from stone and brought to life usually through residual magic and intent. That's why they're usually around churches, old castles, and the like. They're pretty protective of their birthplaces too."

"Does that mean our professor was created here?"

"No, your professor was created somewhere in Scotland," an impossibly deep voice said. We both looked up - I had mind to switch the camera - to see Professor Sozzagoz towering over us from a perch on the seats in front of us, his hands on his hips. His tie - a tacky madras plaid - dangled in our faces. He held out his hand.

"Oh, hello professor," I said, giving him a grin. "Say hello to our fans. They're helping us beat the curse."

"Beat the curse on your own time," Sozzagoz said. He motioned with his thick taloned fingers. I hurriedly sent the video off to Youtube and then deposited the phone in his thick paw. "Since you're the distracted type, maybe you and your friend here want to volunteer for today's lesson?"

"Oh, no, not at all. Sorry. We won't disrupt..."

"Meet me up front, Mr. Shadowcut," Sozzagoz said. His bottom teeth poked up from his lip, and scraggly black hair dipped down to join his tie. He leapt from the seats in front of us, and with a spread of his wings, flapped over to the stage. The rest of the class, now almost full, blinked at Mia and I from their seats before returning their attention to the front of the class. Sozzagoz set the phone on his desk and addressed the class. "Welcome, students, to Forensics of Magic 101. I hate to disappoint you if you think this is anything like _CSI_ or its counterpart, _MCSI_ , but we will be talking more about spell deconstruction, spell creation, and the elements of magic that are most often talked about in courts, which includes other cases aside from serial murder."

Most of the class groaned in disappointment. I pretended not to see Mia pull out her own phone and begin recording. She set up a pop-socket so that she could prop the phone on the seat in front of her.

"Will my volunteers Julian Shadowcut and...?"

"Mia!" Mia shouted.

"Are you even in this class?"

"Just a visitor!" Mia stood and began heading down to the stage. I groaned and followed suit, less enthusiastically. "I might transfer next semester."

Sozzagoz frowned, or maybe his face was a permanent frown, but then he motioned to me. "Mr. Shadowcut, if you could please, perform a rather harmless spell on Miss...Mia."

"Oh," I pretended to check my pockets. My pants didn't even have pockets. They did have studs though, down the outside leg. "I forgot my wand today. Maybe someone else..."

Sozzagoz made a growling noise and opened a desk drawer. He found a wand and thrust it into my hand. "Here's a loaner. Don't forget your wand next time, Mr. Shadowcut."

I looked at the loaner wand. It was a standard wooden one, probably lined with the most basic of magic conducting materials. I sighed. "Um..alright." I thought of a simple spell that would have Mia's hair change colors. I pointed the wand at her, even though I knew nothing would happen, and said the words. "Quaint hair o' many colors!"

Mia waited.

The whole class waited, including myself.

Nothing happened, of course.

Sozzagoz pushed his glasses back up his nose and made another growling noise. "Try something more modern, Mr. Shadowcut."

"I'm sorry, sir, but in England..."

"I'm aware of the verbiage used in England," he said. "Try again. And stop with the antics."

I pointed the wand at Mia again, thought, then let the wand fall to my side. "I'm sorry, sir, but I must be having an off day."

Sozzagoz scowled - definitely scowling now - and pointed his own wand at Mia. "Beauty through the kaleidoscope!" Harsh green magic swirled about Mia's head, and when it dissipated, her curly black hair had transformed to a pretty aqua green sheen.

"Oh, nice!" Mia touched her hair, moving it between her fingers as if the color would somehow come off.

"Mr. Shadowcut, I had hoped your reputation of shirking your studies was not true. Our last Chosen One, Marissa, was a star pupil," Sozzagoz said. "Now, can you at least tell me the basic elements of that spell? It shouldn't be too hard. It's Magic 101. You can't graduate secondary magic school without passing that class."

I felt my cheeks redden a la Liam after a flirt aimed his way. "Yes, well, of course. You have to understand the basic composition of hair, such as proteins, but also the chemical compositions of hair. Carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, etcetera. But then, you'd also need to understand the pigment, eumelanin, and how it exists within the shaft of the hair. Then, you align your magical energy with the energy of the hair, and the pigment, to swap the pigment with another pigment. It's like dying hair, but without chemicals."

"How did I turn it green, though?"

"You didn't use any natural pigments or chemistry to change the pigment out, because those are toxic, so you must have used an illusion. Its temporary."

Sozzagoz made a rumbling noise. "Correct."

"It isn't permanent?" Mia asked. She seemed disappointed.

"It will last a few days. Can you tell us why, Mr. Shadowcut?"

"The magic is a psychological magic. It convinced Mia and anyone who looks at her hair that it is green. Therefore, it's an active spell, and has a time limit. It actively recasts the same spell into the person's mind each moment they look at it."

"Yes, thank you. As you can see, even a small, simple spell has a simple origin that involves a complex combination of Normal chemistry and magical intent. You may be seated." Sozzagoz motioned to the audience, who gave a lazy round of applause. We turned and headed back up to our seats, but not before I heard Sozzagoz say, "There's some hope for you yet, Mr. Shadowcut."

I felt a little...pleased? At that. We sat down, and Mia smiled over at me. She whispered so that we wouldn't be heard by Sozzagoz. "Does your family know you know all that?"

"I...don't think so," I whispered back. I turned my focus back to Sozzagoz, who was droning on and flipping through Powerpoint slides.

....

After the lesson, Mia closed down her phone and put it in her pocket. She moved to go, but I grabbed her hand. "I want to talk to the professor."

"You're not embarrassed enough?"

"No, I mean, _yes_ ," I frowned. "He still has my phone. Plus, I just want to ask him a few questions. Can you record without putting us in video? Or being obvious?"

"Sure. I'll record voice," she said, fiddling with her phone. We waited until everyone had filed past - and everyone made sure to look us over as they did - before we headed back down to the stage where Sozzagoz was resetting his desk for the next lecture. He held up my phone when we neared. I took it. "Thanks, but, I was actually wondering if we could ask you a few questions?"

"Office hours are listed on the syllabus."

"No, I meant, about Marissa."

Sozzagoz looked between Mia and I, then sighed. "Technically, I am not supposed to tell you anything. I've signed an NDA with the school."

"I am just doing my best to not get killed," I said, motioning to myself. "Or anyone else."

"Fine. You have five minutes," Sozzagoz pulled out a chair that looked miniscule for his huge frame, and sat on it. Miraculously, it held his weight.

"You said she was your student?"

"Yes. For some reason, all the Chosen Ones get enrolled in this class, even if criminal justice is not their major. But Marissa was actually interested in criminal justice, namely, forensic psychology. She was one of my top students last year."

"Did she ask you any questions that you think had to do with the curse?"

"She asked me about tracing the curse. She'd been told by her counselor that the curse had been traced, but there was never an origin. I'd never tried tracing the curse before, but she asked me if there were any _recent_ attempts. I didn't know of any, but, I figured she would try, so, I did my best to help her," he paused. "I must also note that as a professor here, I am forbidden in actually actively helping any student with actual spells that has nothing to do with course materials."

"Oh." Mia and I exchanged glances. We tried not to look deflated.

"But I did it anyway."

I perked up. "You...you did?"

"Aye. We started with what we knew...which I am assuming you have already started to do, considering the nature of your inquisition, the involvement of your Normal roommate, and your Youtube videos. Not to mention, the running recorder in your pocket." He pointed to Mia. Mia blushed.

"We just didn't want to miss anything," Mia said, taking out her phone. She set it on the desk, as if he had asked to confiscate it.

"Yes, well," Sozzagoz cleared his throat. Every noise he made sounded like a growl or the beginnings of a roar. "I don't mind telling you, but you cannot post what I am to tell you to social media. This school is not exactly the best, and my career here is not one I am particularly overly attached to, yet, I'd rather stay here until the curse is beaten. I could get fired if that ever got out."

"Right. We won't post it," I said.

"Right. So. You experienced the curse first hand already. I've already taken the liberty of analyzing the attack in the bathroom." He went to his laptop and opened it, and switched out the Powerpoint for a note-taking app that had notes written out in a heavy, scrawling hand. "Please excuse my writing, gargoyles do not have great fine motor dexterity.

"The curse's magic includes a lexicon of spells, ancient, classical, and modern. It evolves to adopt new spells, or adaptations to spells, so that it may craft traps and attacks that are best suited for the torture and death of the current Chosen One. It may adopt these spells through failures, but, it may also be adopting them by being interwoven in the fabric of the school itself." He motioned about them. "We talk about spells all day, including how to trace them and break them. The curse listens, adapts, and crafts new scenarios. Its not anything new, but it does make breaking the curse hard.

"Now, the curse also uses specific _methods._ Using your bathroom attack as an example, the curse used inanimate objects and the building itself to craft an attack. It blocked your magic, and voided the usefulness of your phones. It sealed the doors and windows, and then created such a great surge of water pressure that it burst the pipes in the bathroom. Did you know that water pressure was out for the rest of the campus at the exact time of this attack?"

"No," I said. "So it wasn't magically created water. It came from a Normal source."

"Right. So the curse has limits. It has to use what is available, and..." He held up a taloned finger. "It cannot use other people to enact its will." He pushed the laptop towards me so I could see a list of notes of how previous Chosen Ones had died. He had no names listed, just causes of death. Incineration. Drowning. Falls. Impalement. Asphyxiation. "It cannot even use others as bait. Its traps are set within the moment. The trap for you was created and enacted within the time that you had entered that bathroom and when it began. There were no lures or anything."

"It didn't make me sick, then?" I asked. "I had gotten a bit...nauseated beforehand. That's why Liam and I had gone into the bathroom."

"It cannot affect your bodily functions."

"Then maybe I just can't look at dead bodies then," The doors above opened, and pupils for the next class began trickling in. I looked at them, then knew my time was short, so I went out with it. "We were attacked outside of campus." Not willing to mention that my magic was gone out loud, I held up the wand he'd given me, then set it down on the desk. Sozzagoz looked at me over the rim of his glasses, then sighed. He seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"That's good to know. I won't call on you in class. Time is short, but if you were attacked off campus, it was not the curse. It has a different source. Now. My next class is set to start in a few minutes. If you have anymore questions, my email is on the syllabus."

"Thanks, sir," I said. Mia grabbed her phone and looped her arm in mine, and led me out of the room through a trail of stares from the new group of students. As soon as we were out, Mia hissed at me.

"How the hell did we know we were recording him?"

"Gargoyles have heightened eyesight and hearing." I shrugged.

"Then why is he wearing glasses?"

"Maybe to look the part? Why is he wearing a tie?" I shrugged. "Maybe its a fashion choice."

"Like those studs?"

"These are beautiful studs."

"Studs went out in 2012."

"I don't care."

Mia raised a brow and flipped her new aqua green hair. "Anyway. I think we need to meet up with Liam to share what we learned. Its all recorded, so he can listen, but...I think we need to think about who would attack you if it wasn't the curse."

I shrugged. "I can't think of anybody who hates me here. I just got here. That isn't enough time to get haters." I paused. "Is it?"

"I don't know. Who do you know that is capable of doing something like that?"

I shrugged. "Its not something that happens often. I have actually never heard of it happening outside of it happening to Liam and I. Someone really powerful would have to do it. Like super super powerful."

"Like...rescuing a kid from falling off a building without a wand or spell kind of powerful? Punching a hole through a wall with a magical fist powerful?"

"Maybe, but when I do those things, its like a reflex. Its automatic. And...usually it isn't to serve me, or hurt someone. Its...because someone I care about is in danger." I looked to Mia after I'd said it. "Don't tell Liam."

Mia held up her hands. "Apparently whatever is going on between you two is off limits for me. You won't say anything and neither will Liam."

"I don't really know you, and you dumped him. Besides. Nothing _is_ happening."

"Liam trusts me," she said, eyeing me.

"Does he now?"

"He trusted me to text me from the hospital. We might be broken up, but we're still...friends. Or something."

"Why _did_ you dump him, anyway?"

"He wouldn't stand up for me against his parents."

I raised a brow. "He doesn't seem like he's willing to take his parent's weird flavor of parenting sitting down. Besides, if he is willing to put his life in danger for a near complete stranger, with whom he has a tenuous relationship at best, I can only imagine what he'd do for someone he was actually _with_."

Mia shrugged.

"What's the truth, Mia?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I just got you a free hair treatment, let you meet a gargoyle and sit in a magic class that you didn't pay for, and I'm letting you follow me around like you're my fan club president _and_ personal assistant." I paused. "Besides. If there's anything I should know about Liam..."

"No. No, Liam's not like that. He's a great guy. A perfect guy, really. I mean, he's a little dense sometimes, especially when it comes to like...knowing what a girl wants and what actual feminism is, but, he wasn't a bad boyfriend."

"He doesn't know what a girl wants?"

Mia wrinkled her nose. "I felt like I was trying to be someone else to be with him. He was so...simple and low maintenance. I didn't know if I actually made him happy, or if he was just saying that. I tried to match his vibe too much. As soon as we broke up, I realized I was making myself fit into his mold. Its not his fault. I just..." She shrugged. "Well, like this hair. Its fucking rad, right? I could _never_ bleach my hair and dye it when I was with him."

"You don't think he'd like it?"

"He would! But then I'd be the crazy girly girlfriend, who needed more, and I knew...he wouldn't be able to give it." She looked rightfully sad. "Aaron likes _this_." She motioned to herself. She wore a pink spaghetti strap dress with an open weave, light ivory sweater over it. Her shoes were western inspired booties. I took notice of her ombre nail set, her perfect make-up, and her hoop earrings. With charms. "And like...I don't have to worry about making Aaron trying to be someone he isn't for me."

"So you...swapped Liam out for someone else because...you were too afraid to speak up about these things?"

"No." Mia shot me a glare. It softened. "Maybe. I don't know. I don't know all the answers. I've only ever been with Liam. I don't know if what I'm doing is right. Do you know all the answers?"

I scoffed. "If I did, well, I'd certainly be somewhere else, not in this school, waiting for a curse to kill me." I sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to point fingers or seem like I'm taking sides."

"What _are_ you trying to do?"

"Just...try not to fall desperately in love with your ex, when he does not feel the same about me." I shrugged.

"Its hard, isn't it?"

"Why is that?"

"He's sort of got that puppy-dog-slash-wise-old-person-slash-Shawn Mendes thing going on."

"He _does._ " I paused. "Can he sing?"

"Horribly."

We laughed. After we'd sort of fell into a comfortable silence, I took out my phone. "Oh, speak of the devil." I'd missed a call from Liam. I dialed him back. It answered. "Hello, Liam, were your ears burning or..."

"Is this Julian?!" Someone whose voice I did not recognize answered. They sounded frantic, and out of breath, as if they'd been running.

"Yes, this is Julian. Who is this? Where's Liam?"

"We need your help! We're in the greenhouse!" I heard something that sounded like wind. Or a roar. Or both. "Please!"

"What? Who is this? Put Liam on!" The other person didn't do as I'd asked, nor did he answer my questions. The line went dead. I called back. It went straight to voicemail, with Liam asking the caller to try texting him first, because he never checks his voicemail. "What the fuck?"

"What happened?"

"Some guy on Liam's phone wants me to come to the greenhouse." I looked to Mia. "They sounded kind of...agitated."

There was a sudden _boom_ that erupted over the commons of the campus, where we had been standing. A force then pushed everyone in the quad, us included, off our feet. Wind blew through the commons, unsettling the trees and plants, and sending sand from the summer themed corner flying. I helped Mia to her feet. She looked to me, wide eyed.

"The greenhouse," I said.

We took off running.


	17. Sassquashes and Grumpkins

Much like other universities, the greenhouse at Temecula Valley was a huge building. Unlike newer greenhouses, however, this one was made of older building materials, with wood frames and glass. Old fashioned cranks were here and there, attached to props that lifted the roof. There were heaters and lights hanging from the ceiling, which were more modern, and sections of benches and garden boxes, all filled with green plants.

Carter and I entered the place without a problem, through the gardens and orchards outside, and quietly surveyed the place from by the door. I noticed a few boxes full of ordinary fruits and vegetables. "A pretty boring place."

"Really? You think sassquashes and grumpkins are boring?"

"What?"

"Predatory gourds," Carter said, pointing to the garden boxes. "Not to forget rageberries. Instead of taking energy straight from nutrients in the ground and all that, they take them from insects. Great in pie, and also great at existing without the need for pesticides." He laughed at the face I made. "They still taste great. You've probably had some here at the cafeteria."

"Why would anyone grow predatory plants?"

"Its not like people don't have Venus flytraps as plants." Carter shrugged. "Besides, these are all part of the genetic and magical experiments here. UCR created clementines...Temecula Valley created predatory pumpkins." He pointed to one large pumpkin. A fly buzzed near it. The pumpkin split at the sides with a jack o' lantern grin and snapped up the fly. "They eat grubs, flies, larvae, and even rats and birds. Well. I think they do. I haven't actually read any up-to-date literature on it."

I shook my head and led us through the place. "So Xairu was killed here," I said. "In a fire. What in here can catch fire?"

"Well, if it was before modern times, peat could have been used. Its pretty flammable."

"Peat."

"Its like...decaying plants. Its used in planting."

"Interesting. I doubt Xairu just lit it on fire or anything."

"If it gets hot enough, it can actually catch on fire."

"So the greenhouse magicked itself to become super hot when Xairu was in here, and then...fire?"

"Seems plausible. But there's no records anywhere. All we know is that she died here."

"And this other guy?"

"Damion."

"How did he die?" I looked about.

"I don't know."

"How did you know anyone died here, if there are no records, and everything gets erased?" Carter took out his tablet and tapped at it a bit, then showed me a news article from a Michigan newspaper. I took the tablet and read it. "Freshman student, star of magical duel team of Detroit's Magic & Magnet School, and Chosen One of Temecula Valley, dies in greenhouse accident." I frowned. "That's it? There's nothing else. It just talks about the greenhouse, and the school, and how other Chosen Ones were killed. It doesn't even mention their names. How can you report on stuff without actual facts?"

"Don't even get me started. Besides, the date was from seven years ago," Carter said, pointing.

"And since there's only one Chosen One every year, it is the death of that year."

"I wrote an email to the Detroit Magic & Magnet School to ask about the Chosen One, but I got a form letter in response saying that no student there ever became a Chosen One." Carter smirked. " _Then_ , I got an email from a Normal in the newspaper and yearbook organization. She sent me proofs for the yearbook of the year Damion graduated...the first proofs, before Damion was magically stricken from all record." He opened a file and zoomed in on the page full of student portraits. A grinning boy with bright red hair, freckles, and a just-wide-enough-to-be-cute gap in his teeth. "Apparently the Normal found a loophole in the spell. The physical copies of yearbooks, and physical proofs were subject to the spell, but whoever cast the spell didn't account for _digital_ proofs."

"That's insane," I muttered. More and more evidence was being presented that confirmed Carter's theory that the school was working in tandem with the curse to ensure that more Chosen Ones were unable to solve the curse. The reasons why made sense too. Temecula Valley was nothing spectacular, at least, not in comparison to other larger and older magical universities. Everyone wanted to go to Europe or Asia. And if they came to America, they wanted to end up in New York.

"So he died here," Carter said, motioning to the place. "I don't know how, but if the curse evolves, it probably didn't do it the same way it did in Xairu."

"How else can a person even die in here?" I looked about. "The heaters could get real hot. The lights?" I spied some fans installed here and there. "Fan blades? Can the curse make the grumpies and sasquatches eat people?"

"Grumpkins and sassquashes," Carter corrected. "I don't know. Those are pretty obvious, though. The place wasn't rebuilt after Damion. Whatever it did, it just...did it and moved on."

We moved through the benches. I looked into each pallet of plants, but didn't recognize anything I'd ever seen before. I had no idea what I was looking at, and decided to not touch anything in case it was poisonous or...caused rashes. "I don't want to jinx things, seeing as a bathroom almost drowned me, but it's hard to see how a boring indoor garden could kill people."

"As long as Julian stays out of here, I don't think we'll find out," Carter said. He looked at the walls of the place. "This place looks like it is super old. They rebuilt it back when Xairu was around, or you know, right after."

"The whole school is old."

"Save for the Normal dorms."

"Where no one dies."

"If they built new buildings after the entire school has been built, why does this one matter," Carter didn't ask it to me. "Why don't they want people to know about Damion specifically?"

"I don't know, but, there isn't anything here," I said. I dug my hands into my pockets. One hand clasped Julian's wand. The other, the elven point. "Let's go. It's hot as hell in here."

"Yeah," Carter looked to me, and I saw his glasses were starting to fog up. He took them off and rubbed them with his T-shirt hem. "Let's go."

We made it three steps or so towards the door when we heard the sound of old metal creaking. We looked up to see the cranks of the ceiling vents moving slightly. It was as if the metal was attempting to move down to close the vents, but the cranks were fighting it, with no hands to turn them. I think we stood there, dumbly staring up, for too long before we looked at each other in confusion.

We then heard the sound of doors locking. I looked to the door we had come in through, just in time to see the turn-lock turn, and the old lock click home into the jamb. Then, the door to the side, that led to an outdoor sitting area. And lastly, the door that led to the agriculture building.

"The doors are locked," Carter said out loud.

What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion, even though I don't think it really did. Carter took steps towards the side door, which was the closest, but I had grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him back. The metal supports holding up the ceiling vents right above _snapped_ in two, and the vent panels came crashing down. I turned, pulling Carter with me, and slid under a bench just as the glass of the vents shattered.

Shards of glass came raining down on us, slicing through the benches as if they were sharpened metal guillotine blades, with one nicking my arm as I cowered, trying to cover my neck and head. Carter let out a yelp that broke his voice. Dagger-like pieces of glass embedded into the wood of the bench and the ground about us, some points stopping mere millimeters from touching us.

As soon as the glass stopped falling, I looked to Carter, who was staring wide eyed at a point of glass that was pointed directly to his eye. The glass of his glasses had stopped it.

"How old is this building?" I hissed.

"Ancient!" Carter backed up and out from under the bench. I did the same, and clasped my hand to my bleeding arm, which held Julian's wand. "What the hell?" Carter looked up at the now busted panel. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know."

"Is your mentor here?"

We looked around but we didn't see Julian in the greenhouse, or anywhere around it outside. "No."

Another ceiling panel creaked. We heard glass cracking, but it was coming from the sides of the greenhouse, where the walls appeared to be _bowing in_.

"Are you sure?" Carter looked to me, then the wand.

"I think something is very wrong," I said. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket with my bloody hand and dialed Julian. I put it on speaker. "We need to move very carefully, as far from the glass as possible." The only option was the back door, which led to a more stable, or rather, less glass-filled building. If we tried to make it to the front or side doors, we were heading towards walls filled with glass panels that were being laced with spiderweb cracks.

Julian didn't pick up.

We inched very slowly towards the back door, as if we were actually stepping on cracking glass instead of standing under it.

"So, I have a confession," I whispered. "And I am only going to say it because I think the curse has figured it out."

"What?"

"When Julian and I were attacked off campus," I took a few steps back. "Somehow, his magic had been swapped into _me_."

Carter rounded to me. "What?!"

"Shh!"

The walls creaked, bowing in more drastically. It looked like someone was somehow vacuum-sealing the place, and the place was going to collapse in on itself.

"You have Julian's power and you didn't think to tell me before we went to an old building made of glass!" Carter fumed. "The curse feeds on _power!_ "

"Well, I can see that it doesn't matter who has it now..." I looked about us. "Look. Just. Run. To the door."

"What?!"

"Now!

Carter dashed for the back door as the place _imploded_. Glass shot towards me from all sides, and I shot out my hands as if somehow I could stop the glass from hitting me. I felt that weird nerve feeling again, but it came from _all over_ , and then a red sort of...wave, like echoes of my shape, pushed out from me.

Glass embedded in the red wave and vibrated with the energy I was somehow giving off. It looked the shards were trying to still worm their way in towards me, but for some reason, they just couldn't. I looked at them in awe. Some of the shards were bigger than my head.

I looked over to Carter, who was cowering near the back door. It was obvious that the glass attack had been aimed solely at me, which was what I was counting on. The walls were still bowing in, though, and not all the glass had been let loose on me.

I thought of what to do. There would be a third attack. But I still needed to get the glass from the second attack away from me. "What do I do?!"

"I don't know! Try to like...push it away!"

I thought, how would I _push_ the glass away, and then, it was pushed away. The red energy gave the halo of glass a shove, and then dissipated. The shards all collapsed to the ground, harmlessly.

"Here!" I tossed Carter my phone. "Try to call Julian!"

He'd just caught the phone right when the third attack began.

This time, the wood spars of the place all snapped to shreds, and joined the attack with the glass that was heading my way. I raised my hands to brace against it, hoping against hope that I wouldn't be skewered with glass and wood.

Something within me burst outward, and after a strange sucking in of sound, I felt my nerves _explode._


	18. Beetlejuice

A large crowd of Normals and magical types alike had gathered in the gardens by the time Mia and I reached it. At first, it was hard to determine just what they were looking at, but a cloud of dust marked where the action seemed to be.

Or had been.

The agriculture building was a wing that shot out from the main school building, and was created with the same stone and weird steel strappings as the rest of the school. Yet, it looked like a part of the building had been blown off.

"Hey, excuse us, excuse us...that means move!" Mia took the lead, her phone held out in front of her, recording. Elves moved aside readily, not fans of sharp or violent tones like yelling anyway. Everyone else more or less continued milling about, but let us through. We found ourselves at the front of the crowd, in the orchards that were an organized forest of magical fruit trees. The cloud of dust that was slowly dissipating hovered over a heap of broken wood and glass that I assumed was some sort of greenhouse.

At the center was Liam and some guy I'd never seen before, sitting on top of the heap, dusty, dirty, and bloodied.

Or rather, only Liam was bloodied.

Blood marked his right arm, through his hoodie, which was sliced open.

I pushed past Mia to try my best to climb the heap of broken greenhouse to get to him. He saw me coming and stood to meet me at least half way, especially when I slipped in my leather soled shoes. However, I made it up to grab at his rather dusty shoulders. I looked him over. He looked exhausted, but spared me a smile. "Liam! Are you...what happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened!" The other kid said. He got into my face with his finger, blinking through glasses that had a shattered lens. "Your magic triggered the curse, even though you weren't even here!"

Liam was distracted from me for a moment as the crowd began to murmur. He spotted Mia at the base of the ruined greenhouse, filming us. "Let's go somewhere else," he whispered. "He met my eyes. "No one needs to know this."

"Fine, but, are you alright?" I moved my hand to where the cut was, careful not to touch it. I saw that he was grasping my wand tightly. His hand shook. I placed my hand over his to steady it, and helped him uncurl his hand over the wand.

"The curse targeted me," he said. "Because I have your magic. We thought..."

"Liam," I stepped closer. "Are you hurt?"

"Um...no. Not really. Just...shaken up."

"The girl with the phone keeps coming closer," the other guy said, motioning to Mia. "Do you know her?"

I rolled my eyes as this...something...between Liam and myself was ruined. I shouted over my shoulder. "Mia! Stop it with the camera!"

"But!"

"Mia!"

Mia sighed and lowered her phone.

"Let's get out of here and get you cleaned up," I said, returning to Liam with a softer tone. I moved to help him off the heap, but his hand tightened on mine. I didn't fight it. The three of us made our way off the slippery and sharp shards of glass and fragile wood splinters until we were by Mia. Liam eyed the crowd and then pulled me a different way through the orchard. With his hand tightly clasped over mine, I had no choice but to follow.

Mia and the other guy followed.

I ignored them. Or rather, they suddenly stopped being a part of my awareness. I was aware of Liam. And his hand in mine. And the weird sensation of my pulse being too strong in my fingers for some reason.

As soon as we were far enough away - I realized that Liam had no clue where he was going, and neither did I, so we stopped in the middle of the autumn section of the commons. Tall trees with perpetually falling red and orange leaves lined a few paths, and a cool, autumn breeze snaked though the trees here and there.

"Sorry, I just...didn't want to talk in front of all those people," Liam said, facing me. He looked about, but the kid and Mia were thankfully still a ways away and couldn't hear us. "Your magic...the curse targeted me because I have your magic. We were investigating the greenhouse because it had previously been destroyed, and after it was rebuilt, any Chosen Ones who died there were scrubbed from history. We wanted to see why."

"Liam...why didn't you tell me you were going there?"

"I didn't know the curse was going to target _me_! I figured...that if you weren't there, nothing could happen." He winced. "Sorry."

"Don't be _sorry_ , Liam," I shook my head. I touched his cheek and a layer of dust came up with my hand. "Jesus, you look like shit."

Liam raised a brow.

"I meant..." I became aware of my touching him. I removed my hand and cleared my throat. "I am just glad you're alright."

"Yeah. I'm alright. I promise. I'm not just saying that to save face or anything." He motioned to his harm. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"How did you get out of there? We saw some sort of explosion."

"Yeah, that's the other thing," Liam scratched at the back of his neck. "Your magic is...different with me. I was able to like...stop the glass from stabbing me? It was a force field or something. And it...exploded."

"The curse didn't anticipate it?"

"No. I think because the magic is different. Like yours is blue? Mine is red. Yours is like a cloud or something, and mine is like, well...a big red blast. Either way, I didn't need a spell or wand. It just happened." He shrugged. "Can't bet on that happening again."

"Right." I wanted to tell him everything we had learned. That the swap was probably not because of the curse, for one. But Mia and the other kid had caught up with us.

Liam didn't step away from me.

"Carter here says he told you some new stuff about the curse?" Mia asked.

"Yeah. I'm assuming its the same with you?" Liam motioned to Mia.

"Yeah. Let's go before that crowd catches up with us." She looked me over. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Liam said. He rolled his eyes and stepped away at the same time, his hand letting go of mine. He dug his hands into his pockets, and like that, whatever it was, was over. I followed suit.

It took a while, but we found the Normals dorm, and then to our rooms, where I saw Liam and this Carter kid breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn't so much a sigh as a melt into relaxation. Liam excused himself to take a shower, and Carter began sorting the papers on the coffee table and setting up his own...something. He had a tablet full of notes, and was able to display its contents on the smart TV. I realized he'd made a rather easy to follow compilation of notes on the school, previous Chosen Ones, and everything that had happened since school started a few days ago.

He was busy tying up findings that combined Liam's notebook and the greenhouse attack when Liam emerged from the room, freshly showered, wearing a tee and pajama bottoms. He'd put some butterfly strips over his cut. I'd have to teach him healing spells after everyone had gone.

"Alright," Carter said, tapping at his tablet. "Shall we all get caught up?"

"Do we have to?" Liam asked it. He went to the mini fridge and got a bottle of water. "I just want to...not talk about the curse or nearly dying _for once_ while on this campus." He looked to me, then the others, before collapsing on the couch.

I felt sorry for him. He'd survived three attacks in less than a week as well as my own fumblings at romance. I focused my eyes on the television as I thought about that. I hadn't really had a chance to properly romance him. If we weren't here, and if I hadn't scared him off, I certainly would have tried better than a set of awkward kisses in a car and borderline lewd flirtations.

I had done better with Owen, at the beginning. I'd left him a cute note in his letterbox, folded in the shape of a heart. In it was a clue to the next present, which was hidden in a spell released from a muffin, his favorite kind, at the shop he liked to frequent. That clue led to another, then another, and then, there was an illusion hidden in a park that activated when he stepped into it.

It was a flow of stars, of which I was in the center of, holding a single rose.

Owen told me I was too dramatic. He would have gone out with me if I'd just asked. I had told him there was no fun in that. Why have magic if you couldn't use it? And I had thought I could have done _even better_. Bigger. More grandiose.

Surely someone as lovely as Liam deserved a true declaration of intentions? A grand one?

"Julian?"

I blinked and brought myself back to the present. "Hmm? What?"

Carter pointed to the TV, beside which he stood. "The curse does not want people to know about certain deaths, and we think that the staff here may be doing what they can to make sure that the curse is not broken."

"And I was just about to play what your professor said," Mia said. She was perched on the edge of the coffee table. Liam lay there still, arms crossed, but looked to me expectantly. I was the only one standing there, awkwardly, in their own world.

"Ah, yes," I cleared my throat and read through the notes on the screen. "Although I argue that the staff wants to keep the curse going. My professor was quite helpful today."

Mia held up her phone and pressed play on her recorder app. I paced to keep my mind focused as the recording played, as if I hadn't actually been there. Every time I passed by the couch, I snuck a glance to Liam. He was focused on the recording, or asleep, I didn't know. His eyes were shut.

Did I mention that he had unfairly long lashes?

"So the attack in my car was not from the curse," Liam said after Sozzagoz stopped talking. "Then someone out there owes me a new car."

"The most important thing is that now, Liam is the chosen one," Carter said, pointing to Liam. He pointed to me. "He has your power, which is what the curse is drawn to. And, the attack happened quickly after the first, so the curse may still be acclimating to a switch in power."

"Same with not knowing that I could do...whatever it was I did."

"You don't even know what you did," I said. I made a frustrated noise. "I get all this, but Deandrea - my counselor - told me that the curse selects the Chosen One before the term. It is always a magician, and it is always human. The name is written by something within the school, this thing being thus unknown and untraceable, and delivered to the dean," I found the paper in my folder and held it up. "This is my name. So far, Liam's name hasn't been delivered to anyone. Liam hasn't been named by the curse. I don't think Liam is the new Chosen One. I think the curse is just responding to the energy and nothing more.

"If and when I get my magic back, Liam will still not be a magician, and my name will still be the demanded one by the curse."

"That would be reassuring if I didn't almost just get ginsu'd by a greenhouse," Liam said.

"Ginsu'd?"

"Knife company," Carter informed. "And Liam's right. The curse is responding. It is not evolving."

"Yes, as we've all been quite mum about the switch since it happened."

"I may have...said something," Liam said. "But...after we were attacked. Or the attack started happening."

"Then...the curse may definitely 'know' now. It may start trying to figure you out, Liam."

"But didn't you say that the curse names people before the start of the term?"

"It could be a line of anticipation written into the curse."

"Yeah, but it needed time to learn about _you_ ," Liam said. He sat up and looked right at me. He hadn't styled his hair wet, so it was drying a bit haphazardly, like he'd just gotten out of bed. "We might have an advantage in that it doesn't know anything about me, or how I am going to deal with the magic. It couldn't block me. That's the only reason why the attack failed."

"Maybe this is good, then," Mia said, piping up. I noticed that she was fiddling with her phone, probably recording this whole exchange. "Its probably safer that Liam has the magic instead of you."

"How is it safer? Liam almost got _killed_ ," I motioned to Liam. "This is _not_ Liam's burden to bear!"

"I'm just saying, if you had the magic, you'd probably get killed quicker. Since he has it, you all have more time to figure out how to beat it."

"That all depends, doesn't it, on Liam being able to survive the next few traps. I don't want Liam to even be set in that situation. You don't have to stay here, Liam. I'll phone my sister and have her wire me money or something, and get you a new car or a hotel...just anything to keep you out of harm's way." I began fiddling with my own phone.

"I'm not going, Julian," Liam said.

"Like hell. I'll be damned if you die because someone has it out for me." I motioned to him even as I sent a few texts. "Any of you. You're all in this because I'm a piece of shit who couldn't be bothered to dedicate himself in secondary. If I'd pushed myself, I'd be back home, and you all would be off...doing whatever it is Normals do. Walking your dogs or shopping at the mall. Safely."

"Julian," Liam scoffed. "We'd all still be here. Mom and Dad were going to send me here anyway. Carter probably was already enrolled. And Mia...well...yeah, she wouldn't be here."

Mia raised her brows in agreement.

"At least with you here, and thanks to whoever attacked us in my car, we have a chance. _You_ have a chance." Liam shrugged. "I'm not going. I'm not going to leave you to die. Any of you."

Carter shrugged, but nodded. "He has a point. A lot of good points, actually." He sighed, took off his glasses, then put them in his shirt chest pocket. "I have a back-up pair. Anyway. I gotta get back to my own rooms. I'm exhausted, dirty, and have an 8 AM class tomorrow." He packed up his tablet - not before tossing a busted container of chicken nuggets in the trash - and left with a wave.

"I gotta go," Mia said as soon as he'd left. She stood, which prompted Liam to stand, and they hugged. "My just-in-case weekender bag is now empty, and Aaron called. I don't know how to help you guys more than this," she waved her phone. She then picked up the aforementioned weekender back, which she had snuck in somehow, and planted off by one of the desks. It seemed to be full of wadded up dirty laundry. "Look. Julian, we need more videos. When that equipment gets here, make a video. About your hair, your clothes, pick something. And Liam just...try to be safe, okay? No more buildings made of glass?"

"We'll do our best," I said. I then found _myself_ given a hug, and Mia left us alone.

Liam groaned and collapsed on the couch. "I don't _want_ to be the Chosen One."

"You aren't." I said. I went over to one of the desks and started up the computer. "My name is still the one written on that paper. Now, either I am still the Chosen One and the curse is confused by the switch of magic, or this curse is not a curse at all." As soon as the computer was up, I logged into the school website to access the syllabus for the Forensics class. Luckily, thanks to an instant access materials program, all my textbooks were delivered to me digitally.

"Why would you say the curse isn't a curse?"

"Because curses have _rules_ ," I said, clicking into the Forensics textbook. "Spells, rituals, curses, they all follow parameters. They have limits. What makes a curse different from a spell or ritual is that they have a specific target. The curse cannot work without a specific target."

"What about a mummy's curse? That can be anyone."

I looked over at Liam to admonish him for bringing a Hollywood trope into the conversation, but he'd curled into one of the couch pillows and was laying with his eyes closed. I quietly cleared my throat and refocused myself. "If such a thing were true," I said. "The curse would only hurt those who opened the mummy's tomb."

"What about when Indiana Jones goes _into_ the tomb, and booby traps..."

"Those are mechanical traps set by humans, and are usually triggered by stepping on a stone or tripping a wire."

"But what about..."

"Liam!"

Liam chuckled. "Sorry."

"The point is, this curse has to come after _me_. I was named. If it is coming after you, then there's something wrong with the curse. It may not be a curse at all." I went to the index of the textbook, and on a pad of paper, began marking relevant topics and their page numbers. "It may be more active, with active agents casting _spells_. Then the target can shift."

"Carter did say he was suspicious of the staff."

"I believe I am beginning to share that sentiment," I muttered. "You didn't tell anyone you were going to the greenhouse, did you?"

"Nope. We were at McDonald's when we decided to go."

"Then someone must've followed you or something...it could be possible that whoever switched my magic to you did it so that they could have an easier target...or what they thought was an easier target. Or...a less prominent one." I frowned and sat straight in my seat in revelation. "Killing off the heir to a magical fortune is one thing, but killing off some random Normal is another."

"Jeez, thanks."

"I don't mean anything by it."

"I know. I was...nevermind. Go on."

"Getting here may have fulfilled the need to establish notoriety for the school, but what if they bit off more than they could chew?"

Liam opened one eye. "Did they underestimate your magic?"

"Or maybe they underestimated my family. Or rather, one particular person." I frowned. "Brioni."

"A brony?" Liam rolled onto his back.

"Bree-o-nee. My sister. She's being considered for a part in a curse creating committee. Maybe she's trying to impress someone. Or maybe Father has put some pressure on her not to let me get killed." I sat back in my seat and thought. "Although it would be in her best interests if I were killed. The magic would recycle back to the family."

"Only if you didn't die here."

"Right. Maybe she thought that if you had the magic, and I died, she could swap the magic to herself somehow. But then...why make a pact?"

"The one where you leave and she gets to be heir?"

"Right. Father is annoyingly patriarchal. He'd hand everything over to me just because I was born a boy. I'd hate to admit it, but Brioni is certainly more deserving."

The center of the room rippled. Liam sat up as the ripple dissipated, removing time and space to reveal the form of no one else but my sister, Brioni. She sighed at me from her stance on top of the coffee table, and let go of a Wayfinder sat around her neck. "Really, Julian, you had to _Beetlejuice_ me?"


	19. The Crab of Magic

"You _Beetlejuice'd_ yourself," Julian sneered from his computer chair. "I have no magic. But you know about that, don't you?"

The lady on the coffee table shrugged and hopped off easily, despite wearing what had to be four-inch heels. She looked like a female version of Julian, with the longer face, the cheekbones, the slim nose. Unlike Julian, her hair still moved with magic, and shone with a magenta color. Wearing a black skirt-suit, I couldn't tell if she'd taken her look from a Disney villain, or had planned it that way herself.

"Of course you would lose your magic the first few days of school," the woman said. "Your hair is so...flat. Have you washed it lately?"

I sat up. This caught the woman's attention and she looked at me with one raised, thin brow.

"Is this your new Owen?"

"Shut up, Brioni."

"Liam," I said, standing. I went over and held out my hand. She took it with a gloved one of hers. She had chunky hammered bracelets on her wrist. I noticed that while she wore a suit jacket, she didn't seem to have anything under it. A large amulet shone nearly between her breasts. "You must be Brioni."

"I see I've missed the sister bashing."

"Actually, you haven't been the topic of conversation at all," Julian said, pretending to read the computer screen again.

"Uh, did you want anything to drink?" I asked. "We have...water."

"You're so polite. No, thank you. I won't be staying."

"Yes, because as soon as you admit to swapping my magic into Liam, you can swap it back, and then his life will be out of danger," Julian said, rolling his gaze back over to her. "Do whatever you want to me, Brioni, but don't harm someone who has nothing to do with...whatever it is you're doing."

"Why do you think I did anything?"

"Because you're my sister, you hate me, and I think you're more attached to the 'hope to die' part of our pact than the rest of it."

Brioni looked to me in question. I sighed. "Something attacked us when I was taking Julian to his hotel, after the first attack of the curse. He was going to leave school, but then whatever attacked us blew up my car, and swapped his magic into me. Now, the school's curse is targeting me, not him."

"A curse can't change targets, unless the target was an inanimate object that could be swapped between people," Brioni rested a hand on the back of Julian's chair and tapped her finger on it. "Are you sure its a curse?"

"That is what I'm attempting to research," Julian said, motioning to the computer.

"Forensics? I loved that class. I preferred Ullun's texts to Weg's, but the content is pretty much the same. Does it include the newest literature on cellular manipulation?"

"I don't know, Brioni," Julian flailed a hand. "I don't really care right now."

"We just want to figure this out," I said. "A lot has happened in the past few days. We've found out a lot, but, we haven't really _figured_ it out. All we know now is that the curse is targeting me because I have Julian's magic. And..."

"I...think it would be best to keep most of our findings secret from those being actively headhunted by curse committees," Julian said, eyeing his sister. "As far as we know, this curse could be created, and is just the most clever so far."

"I haven't been hired yet," Brioni said. "And keep it to yourself if you want. Not like I have far more education and experience than you in advanced magic, or curses, or, you know, everything in life."

I looked to Julian. "She could be helpful."

"No, _no,_ " Julian stood and pointed to me, then to his sister. "No! She could _not_ be helpful. She has never been helpful to me, ever, in my whole life."

"Here we go," Brioni muttered. She crossed her arms with a roll of her eyes. "What are you going to blame on me now, brother? The fact that you're here? The fact that you're cursed? Or maybe, the fact that you've lost your magic? Your boyfriend? Your GPA? Your appendix?"

"That _was_ your fault."

"How was losing your appendix her fault?" I looked to Brioni, horrified.

"She spelled it to rupture."

"I did no such thing!"

"You did so. I know you were creating a ritual the day before."

"Appendixes rupture, Julian! That's the only purpose they seem to have!

"Hey, I'm sure that you both have a lot of issues as siblings," I said. "Appendixes or not. I get it." They both looked at me. They could have been twins, the way they stood and the way they looked at me. "I have a sister too, Natalie. We gave each other hell when she lived at home. I can't make appendixes rupture, but I did give her a black eye once."

"Did you really?" Julian asked.

"Yes. We fought over some zhu zhu pets and a cardboard tube maze we'd made...well, it doesn't matter. Brioni, if you have anything that can help us _without_ us having to give up too much information, that'd be great." I sat back down on the couch and ran my hand through my hair. I was exhausted, and was in no mood to listen to Julian and his sister fight. I could feel Julian's magic thrumming against my nerves, and I was simultaneously fatigued and excited at the same time, like I'd drank too many espressos in attempts to make up for a late night.

Brioni sighed and released her arms. "Well, I don't think its a curse. The use of building materials and physics as main components of carrying out traps suggests a curse, however, the swap of magic and thus targets seems it is not a curse." She looked about in confusion. "What is this building? I feel no magic in here."

"Its not a part of the original building," I said. "It was built for Normals and their mentors afterwards."

"Is that so?" Brioni looked about again and thought, opening her mouth only once, then shutting it, before she'd spoken. "Can we...get a tour of the place?"

"The dorms?"

"No. The main building. I have an idea, but...even by magical means it is fantastical."

"What?"

"There's something that has been hinted at in lore, very ancient lore, but...no one actually knows if it exists. They don't even mention it in your studies until your upperclassmen years, and usually if someone asks about it. Its a very ancient...well... _thing_. One of the first creatures, created before modern evolution and using pure creational magic." Brioni went to the other computer desk, but instead of turning it on, clapped her hands. When her hands separated, a ball of magenta magic appeared between them. "Excuse the crudeness. I'm in no way an illustrator, and I have had no reference. But can you imagine a creature of pure creation? Nothing by way of single celled organisms or DNA based life forms, but like that of a crab, with an exoskeleton and an interior of guts. However, in this case, the exterior is evolution incarnate, while the interior is creation incarnate."

A scraggly thing appeared within the magenta ball. It looked like a burnt tree without leaves, but it moved, almost like an amoeba.

"Now, you'd say that both creation and evolution are concepts, definitions of greater mechanisms with a physical existence. However, all that magic is, is creative potential without the labors of physical creation until harnessed by someone able to manipulate it. Evolution is further manipulation, without a creation, but definitely with a physical form. This may all seem metaphysical or beyond understanding, but it has a meaning, I assure you."

"I...think I get it," I said. "You kind of have to experience it to get it but...its like an excitement. Knowing before something happens. Like potential is always there, and you can or you know, don't have to do anything with it."

"In a way. Spoken like a true first year."

"What is this thing?" Julian asked.

"You may name it a monster. I name it a relic of a pre-primordial planet. After the rise of life as we see it today, there was no need for these sorts of things. But like all living things, there are always remnants, and..."

"They need something to eat," I said. "They need energy to survive."

"Correct." Brioni let the ball dissipate with a wave of her hand. "This sort of thing could definitely mimic modern magical tenets but...that would be assuming it exists at all. And it would need an insane amount of energy."

"Like ancestral pools of magic passed down through generations?" Julian asked. He'd rested his elbow on the desk, his head in his hand. He looked as if he were either unable to believe Brioni, or, he did believe, and it was too much for him to process. "I just...I don't know, Brioni. How could something like that exist, here, and no one notice? How could no one feel a magical being like that living here?"

"I don't even know if they're real, brother. Its speculation. Its a diagnosis when no other ailment fits the symptoms. Besides, if no one has ever seen one, how would anyone know what to look for?" Brioni shrugged. "To be perfectly honest with you, I don't think its real. I think it is something someone made up to fill in the gaps between the creation of earth and the creation of life, like how humans made up the concept of aliens and finding a reason for the universe being so big. Without it, what was the point of magic? Why would magic exist if there was no need for it?"

Julian sighed and returned his focus to the computer. "Like I said, you were of absolutely no help, sister. Didn't you say you were going?"

"Why do you hate me so much? Is this the beyblade thing? You know you can heal that scar. There's no need to keep it. It does not make you cool."

I made a noise that I think was a laugh, but I wasn't sure. Julian's face turned _red_ , and Brioni smirked.

"Go away, Brioni."

"Wait," I held up a hand. "Wait. Why would you think that the curse is this thing? Why not a bunch of people like...faking a curse?"

"Oh, because you can trace that, easily," Brioni shrugged. "I mean, that wouldn't stop a bunch of powerful, connected, and organized people to create a bunch of red herrings. But even the most complex spell can be traced. I think the Bermuda Triangle spell was figured out after nearly half a century, but it was figured out. Smoke and mirrors, really."

"That was a spell?"

"Of course. A bunch of trolls didn't want their islands discovered. Its easier to protect a space when you can convince people not to enter it at all."

"Huh. Interesting."

"See, brother, your beau is smart. He respects those who have information to impart upon them."

"What's a beau?" I asked.

Brioni smirked. Julian scowled. "Oh. I see. Nevermind. Anyway. I have to get back. Keep me updated, will you?" She said this to me, not Julian.

"Uh...how?"

"Email. Brioni dot shadowcut at gmail." She said it like it was the most obvious thing. It was easy to forget that magicians had access to technology, as if I expected them to communicate through bird messages or smoke signals. "Bye brother, love you."

With that, she disappeared into a series of ripples.

"She seems...nice," I said, smirking to myself. This earned me a glare. "C'mon, Julian. She's not that bad."

"She's a walking ulterior motive."

"She acts just like you."

"Liam. Don't."

"You two are practically twins."

"Ew. Liam, shut it." He tried to focus on his textbook. "I have homework, if you're going to continue being rude."

I laughed. "I'm just messing with you. Do you think that the...thing...is real?"

"No, absolutely not. She probably just made that up right now." Julian sat back in his seat. "Liam. My sister has absolutely no need to help us out. Unless there was something in it for her, she wouldn't lift a finger."

"She came here, even though you hadn't magicked her to."

"To rub it in."

"Rub what in?"

" _Everything_. She'd never miss a chance to gloat. And yes, gloating serves her interests."

"Alright. Well. I'm still going to ask Carter about it. He seems to know a lot about magic for a Normal."

"He does seem like a fanatic, doesn't he?"

"A fanatic?"

"Like a -phile. A magic-phile. Like franco-philes or anglo-philes. They are fans of a culture and people, and not in an anthropological way. Its like a hobby for them. I'm surprised most of the Normals here are not like him."

"People are like that?"

"Oh yes. Most of them are the new paparazzi, the Youtube authors."

"I think Carter is more into conspiracies. I think he thinks the moon landing wasn't real."

"It wasn't."

"Yeaaaah." I laid back down on the couch and pulled the couch cushion to me again. I shut my eyes. It hurt to keep them open.

"Liam?" Julian asked some time later.

"Yeah?"

"Could I ask a favor of you?"

"Depends what it is." _I want to hold your hand again, Liam._ Or _, can I be that pillow you keep cuddling? I might be all angles and height, but I promise, I am cuddly._

"Could I persuade you to not go to classes until we figure out.."

I opened my eyes and sat up. "What? No."

"At least until we figure out how to get my back back into _me_."

"No, Julian. I already missed the first day of classes. I can't _fail_. My parents would _freak_."

"You could tap in remotely. Tell your professors you're sick!"

"No. The curse needs to recharge, right?"

"So far, it hasn't."

"That's because we believed the attack in the car was the curse, which it wasn't, and the attack in the greenhouse was the curse reacting to my power," I motioned to myself. I didn't miss how Julian flinched when I said _my power_. "I'm not going to hide here. I have actual things I have to do. One semester, and I can go to any school I want."

"It would make me feel better if you stayed where the curse couldn't get at you."

"Okay, well, I'm still going to class," I laid back down on the couch. This made me angry, but I didn't really know why. Maybe I hated being told what to do. Maybe I hated being restricted. I'd already been put into boxes by Mom and Dad, and even Mia. I didn't need Julian to do it too. It was foolish, and I was being stupid, I knew. But I didn't care.

"I'm going to class," I said again, when Julian said nothing. "You should probably do the same. You know...so we don't have to rely on your sister, or Carter, or anyone else who knows more about magic than you."

"I know plenty of magic, thank you. More than you, which is a travesty seeing that you are housing all of it. You don't even know how to heal yourself."

"What is it? 'Doctor heal thyself?'" I felt the nerve-feeling activate, and then itchiness at my arm. I looked at the cut. It was gone, leaving only a line of a scar and the butterfly bandages. I raised a brow at Julian, as if this proved I was perfectly fine with the magic, and with going to class.

"This place is going to get you _killed_."

"Then maybe that will actually break the curse," I said. "An accidental death, and the Chosen One going free."

"What makes you think I want that?"

"I didn't say you wanted it."

"You implied it."

"Well? You don't want to die, do you? Now, things are better for you. Not like you were really any help in the bathroom anyway."

"You're...fucking impossible! If you have a death wish, fine by me." Julian stood, and with nothing better to do, stormed out of the dorm altogether.

"Whatever," I muttered. I tried to close my eyes to finally, _finally_ , get some sleep, but I was so angry that I couldn't. I turned a few times to find a comfortable spot, but the room seemed suddenly too empty and too cold. I got up and threw the cushion back on the couch.

Julian's desk chair was empty, and his textbook was still up on the screen.

He was useless. He'd done _nothing_ so far to help this situation, and _I_ was the one who had to deal with it all now. Even Mia was of more help than he was. He was a horrible Chosen One, unable to think his way out of anything. Maybe that was why the school chose him. He was powerful, to be sure, but wasted all that power so he could be seen out wearing expensive suits and driving expensive cars.

I went into the bedroom, which was nice and dark, and crawled into bed. I pulled out my phone - his phone, he bought it - and decided to scroll until I got tired enough to sleep. Notifications bombarded me as soon as I had unlocked the phone, including one of Mia's newest video. I tapped it on accident, as it was a reflex.

The video was of Mia filming the aftermath of the greenhouse attack. I was standing on the heap with Julian. The orchards framed us, and the sun hit us just right. You couldn't hear what we were saying, but a film director couldn't have framed the shot better. The clip cut to us hurrying away, my hand holding Julian's. Then, we were in the fall forest, talking, with Julian and Carter standing a long ways away.

Carter stepped into the shot, but Mia pulled him back by the sleeve of his shirt.

"Don't," Mia said. "Let them have their moment."

"Are they...together or something?"

"They will be."

"How do you know?"

Mia zoomed in. You couldn't see my face, as I was facing Julian. But you could see Julian's. The way he looked at me, it was like...he couldn't look away. His only fixation was me, with soft hooded eyes and parted lips. He listened and nodded and answered me, whatever it was I was saying, but there was no anger or snootiness or... _Julian-ness_ in him there. Something else. Something I had looked over. Something I had ignored.

" _Please_. They're so in love with each other. Can't you tell?"

Julian gave me a soft smile.

"Look at how they look at each other. They don't know it but...one day they will."

"Yeah, if the curse doesn't kill them first."

I cursed, shut my phone down, and with no one else to take my frustration out on, I threw it away from me.

It wasn't fair.

Why'd it have to be _him_?

Why'd it have to be _me?_


	20. Classic Julian

Fucking Normals.

They just have no sense of taste. No, no, they're too caught up in their own constraints to see life past the end of their nose. That was it. Fuck it. Why did I bother?

Because Liam was cute, and kind, and _dedicated_ and all sorts of adorable awkward that came from a guy who thought he was Normal but had so many hidden things about him, you could spend forever discovering them, or, just be content with what was on the surface. It didn't matter because it was all good.

Except when he turned his ire on me, and worse, when he was right.

I knew he was lashing out of me out of defense. Lord knows I'd done it a billion times. It was easier to target me than to just deal. But he wasn't wrong. And I was the appropriate target. Even if I just wanted him to _stay safe._

Why couldn't he just see that I was trying to protect him however I could?

But he was right. I was useless. I knew next to nothing about magic in comparison to my sister, who always had top marks, and graduated top of whatever class she was in, and who would have _killed_ to be in my shoes to get the notoriety of solving the unsolvable curse.

And I was an idiot who squandered a power that most would love to get their hands on. I had money, I had influence, and I had had power, and it was all crumbling down. My power was _gone_ , and I _knew_ that Brioni did it, I just didn't know how. My influence was still in the infant stages here in America. In Britain, it meant a bit more, and I did nothing with it. My money was limited, and now that I couldn't fucking escape this damn school _because Liam was in danger every minute of every day_ I had no access to that money.

I was a spoiled rotten brat idiot who just got told off by his latest crush and the worst argument I had against it was that Liam was _impossible._

And I was left walking the campus, with nothing to do and nowhere to go, because I didn't want to be anywhere except where Liam was, except I couldn't right now, and I knew no one else in this damn place besides an elf, a vampire, and two Normals, because everyone avoided me like I was going to spontaneously combust and they'd be caught up in the backdraft.

I stopped my hurried rampage-walk by a bench and sat myself down. I was sure I looked like a scheming villain in a child's movie. All angles, dressed in black, with flat hair and a scowl. Everything was gone to shit, and the first week of school _wasn't even over_. I'd managed to make a friend/crush/whatever, kissed them, lost them, and now we were arguing. My life had gone from blissed anonymity to back in semi-headlines but in a sad, halfway manner. My best chances of anything was to beat a curse that may not even be a curse, and the tools I had were a conspiracy theorist, a wannabe influencer or PR manager or something, an angry boy with my magic, and my useless dumbass self.

I had nothing to offer. Nothing at all.

I sighed and leaned back in the bench, doing my best to relieve the tension in my frame. I needed a drink and a smoke. And a shag. A good one, the kind that had you a bit sore the next day. Maybe all three at once. I could just leave and walk down to...wherever it was that people did things in this sleepy middle class tourist destination. There was wine. I could go get some. Find a party, take things I shouldn't, mix them all up dangerously in my stomach and see what would happen now that I had no magic to protect me.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Think, Julian. What can you do? What could any Normal do that you could also do in this situation?"

Liam was resourceful. He'd shown it with the door hinges, and however he had beaten the greenhouse. Liam had knowledge I didn't. But I knew things too. If you took away magic, I was just...

A spoiled rich socialite who knew how to charm and cause trouble.

Hmm.

An idea popped into my head. A very big, grandiose, idiotic, and yet, totally doable plan. Now excited, I pulled out my phone, turned on the camera, and began a video. "Hello everyone. As you can tell, I have survived yet another attack at the school. I'm out here in the school commons trying to figure out more ways to beat the curse, but since I'm out here, I figured I'd take you to meet a few people who work at the school."

My plans would hinge on one thing, and I hoped I was right about my hunch. I got up off the bench and began making my way to the administration building. "Right now I am headed to the administration building of the school, where a few friends of mine work, actually." I pushed my way through the exit doors of the lobby and saw Billy Andy the Lizard Boy standing at the concierge. He gave me an oh-so-joyous roll of the eyes as I entered the building, camera at the ready. "Look! It's my friend, Billy Andy. I'm not really sure what he is supposed to _be_ , exactly, but you know, I'm cool with all sorts of people being my friend. How's it going, Billy Andy?"

"How..." He sighed. "Can I help you today, Mr. Shadowcut?"

"May I please see my counselor, Deandrea? Its important." I flashed a smile to my camera.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but it will only take a minute, and seeing as she is the counselor for the Chosen Ones, she really shouldn't have too much on her schedule." I grinned his way.

"Fine. Wait here." He turned and headed through the door again. 

"Deandrea is my own exclusive counselor," I said to the camera. "She may be the weirdest creature here at Temecula Valley, actually. But you'll know what I mean when you see her." The door opened and Deandrea came out, along with Billy Andy and her huge cheerleader smile. "See what I mean?"

"Hello Mr. Shadowcut!" she said joyfully. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I just wished to see you, my dear counselor, and that wonderful smile. Oh, and I was wondering, could you get me an appointment with the dean? There's been some horrible mix up with the whole Chosen One thing, and I think he should know."

Deandrea's smile faltered just a bit, and her next words came out a bit strained. She eyed the camera, then me. "The...dean? What sort of mix-up?"

"Turns out I'm not _actually_ the chosen one."

"That can't be true. The Chosen One is always selected..."

"Yes, yes, pre-term, by a mysterious message, oh, yes, the viewers don't know." I looked to the camera. "The curse supposedly picks its victims before they even apply to the school, and sends their name to the dean as the chosen focus of the curse. It turns out though, that the school is actually trying to kill someone else."

"I'm sure you must be mistaken."

"The greenhouse and a certain set of Normals? It happened just today. I wasn't even there. If you'll check my schedule, you'll see I was in class."

Deandrea looked to Billy Andy, who just shrugged. "Well. I can see about getting you an appointment, Mr. Shadowcut, but the dean is _very busy_."

"How busy? Can't see me until the end of the week busy or can't see me ever busy?"

"I can send their office a message for you, if you'd like."

"So, can't see me ever kind of busy, then."

"Mr. Shadowcut, I am sure your concerns are very important, but..."

"I get it. They haven't got time for me over all the mischievous ogres and elves mucking up the place, right?"

"Something...like that."

"Alright. Well. I apologize for wasting your time." I gave a little bow. I turned away from her with a smirk and walked out of the building with my camera on me, and catching the confused duo behind me. "As you can see, I am coming ever closer to cracking this curse. But until then, I think its time for a little interlude, yes? A little fun? Well. Stay tuned. I've got an idea."

I sent the video off to Youtube. I knew just what to do now, and I knew just who was going to help me get it done.

...

The door to Oleander's dorm opened, but it wasn't Oleander who was there behind the door. It was Amanda, her black hair a tumble over her shoulders, with sunglasses on, and sipping what looked to be a juice box. "Oh," she said. "It's you. What do you want?"

"Nice to see you again, too, Amanda. I'm here to see Oleander."

"They're busy." _Sip_.

"I am not!" Oleander said from somewhere inside.

Amanda rolled her eyes and let the door open for me. She retreated into a common area that was much like mine and Liam's, only the mirror opposite, and missing the mini kitchen. Oleander came out from the bedroom area wearing track shorts and a tank. Their hair was done up in a bun, and they had their trainers in hand. "Oh, hello Julian! I am just about to head out for a run."

"I can come back later if you wish. My business is only time sensitive and extremely important."

"The run can always wait," they smiled and sat on the couch. Amanda sighed and stood her ground by leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door.

"Are you two roommates?" I asked.

"No," Amanda said. "But we might as well be. Oleander's roommate is a shapeshifter who _may_ or may not actually be in here, and mine is a fairy, and well, fairies tend to flock together." She paused. "What _do_ you want, Julian? Aside from bringing your curse here and endangering us both?"

"You can transform into a cloud of bats and escape, and Oleander, depending on their element, can shift between walls, floors, or turn to air itself. You aren't in any real danger from me."

"Amanda feels that..." Oleander started.

"No, don't speak for her," I said. Oleander quieted. "Amanda can speak for herself." Amanda did no such thing. "Or are you just looking for a convenient place to put your anger because you three couldn't beat the curse, and Marissa is gone, and now you get to see a git in a suit take an unfair crack at it?"

"Don't talk about Marissa that way," Amanda said. I could see her fangs grow slightly.

"I'm sorry that Marissa couldn't beat it. I truly am. And I am doing my best to make sure that no one else has to suffer as she had and as you are now."

"Are you sure? It seems like you've done nothing about it so far. Its been your little boytoy and his weird Normal friend. The tinfoil hat boy."

Oleander blinked. "Carter? You are working with Carter?"

"Yes, why? Is something wrong with Carter?"

"Nothing...just that he believes aliens are real and that the school is conspiring to kill students."

"And it isn't?"

Oleander and Amanda exchanged glances.

"Well? Is it or is it not? If you have information, please, do tell." I crossed my arms.

"We had been investigating that lead when Marissa was..." Oleander paused. "Um, defeated. However, if you have reached that point of investigation so soon, whereas it had taken us months, then you are far more ahead than we would have thought."

"Honestly, I thought the curse was going to kill you the first day," Amanda said.

"Disappointed?" I jabbed back.

"A little." _Sip_.

"What is that? I know it isn't fruit punch."

"Delicious AB positive," she said.

I grimaced.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to determine if the school was actively trying to bait and kill students," Oleander said. "And by school I mean the people who work here."

"Did you get in to see the dean?"

"The dean refused all audience with us. We were attempting to trace the tubes that deliver the message to their office when...well...all lines of investigation came to a close." They meant that Marissa had been killed.

"She probably got too close for comfort," I murmured, thinking. "Well. I have plans to throw a wrench in...whatever is happening, and at whoever may be helping it along. I don't want another Marissa, or Edward, or Xairu, or Damion to die." _Or Liam._

"Yeah? What are you going to do?" Amanda asked. She scoffed. "Sue them? Threaten to bring your dad down here to shake his fist at them?"

"I..." I said. I gave a pause that I hoped was dramatic, and smile. "Am going to throw a party."

Both Amanda and Oleander were quiet at that.

Amanda was the one to move first. She lowered her juice box. "I don't even know why I bother. You're not even _funny._ I should just bite you here and now. We'd get to the end sooner and then I wouldn't have to look at your face."

"Amanda!" Oleander chastised. "That is not a humorous joke."

Amanda shrugged.

"I want to throw a party. A rager. A party to end all parties here at Temecula Valley, the sleeper campus where everyone does what they're told and is afraid to step outside the line, let alone befriend a Chosen One, lest they get caught in the crosshairs. I've been far too complacent since I got here, and I think it is time to give people what they want and expect from me." I motioned to Amanda.

"What? A vampire?"

"An irresponsible, uncaring, narcissistic and selfish son of a rich magician who wants nothing more than to waste his life with drugs, alcohol, and endless parties." I smiled.

"And this will help you...how?"

"The dean can ignore me, but they can't ignore the complete trashing of the campus," I said. I saw realization hit them both. "I will need your help, however. If anyone knows I am the one throwing this bash, they won't show up. I can supply everything to make it work, but I need you two to supply the crowds." I paused and looked to Amanda. "Assuming you have friends, or connections."

"We can anonymously invite people," Oleander thought, standing up. "We can spell people's phones. Everyone on campus. They can receive a text about it, and as soon as it is read, it can disappear. It will create mystery."

"Can you manage a spell that big?" I asked.

"I think so. I can get help if need be. Are you sure you can get everything you need? I am assuming it will be a grand affair, with lights and music and the like?"

"I can manage it." I turned to Amanda. "I can get everything together, but I will need help getting it on campus. Maybe some camouflage? A little invisibility?"

Amanda thought on it. "You think this is really going to get you in to see the dean?"

"If mayhem and destruction doesn't do it, I don't know what will."

She thought on it, and chewed on the straw of her juice box. "Fine. If it helps, I can do it. But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"It brings awareness to Marissa in some way. Her existence is still valid _here_ , but her family has all been wiped. Its as if she never existed. But they got stuck with the cost of her funeral and everything. It was masked as identity theft." Marissa scoffed. "I don't care what you have to do, they need help."

"I'll do what I can."

"Fine. Consider it done."

"When is this supposed to happen?" Oleander asked.

"Monday," I said.

"That is less than a week away!"

"Yes, and the sooner I see the dean, the safer, um..." I scratched at my hair. "Well, the sooner we can hopefully break this curse. I can have the equipment here the moment you need it."

"Then it shall be done," Oleander said. They smiled. "For Marissa. For everyone."

"For Marissa," Amanda said softly. "And Liam."

I raised a brow.

"Oh, please, Julian. Don't act like we don't know."

"Know what?"

"About you and Liam." Amanda pulled her phone out of her back pocket. "You both looked _very close_ today. I would have thought you'd make it through the week without making a move on him but it is _you_ we're talking about..."

"What are you talking about?" I went over and grabbed the phone from her. She tried to swipe it away, but I held it just out of her reach and looked at the video she was looking at. Me. And Liam. Talking in the autumn scene, with me giving Liam the worse _puppy love_ eyes I'd ever seen on _anyone_. "Damn it, Mia! Who has seen this?" I saw the views. It had the most views of any of the videos Mia had posted. "Oh, Christ. Oh, Jesus." I ran my hand through my hair. "Oh, I am fucked."

Amanda snatched the phone out of my hand. "What's your problem? Wait, don't answer. We'll be here all day."

"Do you think Liam has seen that?"

Amanda shrugged. "How would I know? You're his roommate, not me."

"Great. As if he hasn't got enough to hate me for." I resisted dragging my hands down my face in exasperation. "This Youtube thing was a bad idea."

"It may actually be a good idea," Amanda said. "A lot of people in the comments seem invested. They really want to see you two smooch it." She made a kissy face at me.

"We could put the invite out to people off campus," Oleander said. "It could increase the disaster factor of your party, Julian."

"I really do not need Youtube magic-philes stalking me."

"We would shield you to them during the party."

"Ugh...fine. If it gets this to work. Fine."

"What is it, Julian? Everything biting you in the ass as it rightfully should?" Amanda asked.

I hadn't had it in me to fight her on it. I gave her a look that must've looked some kind of pitiful, because she instantly looked admonished. "Yes. Yes, it is. Let's just hope this party works. Otherwise...I am open to suggestions."

.....

Liam and I did the thing where people are avoiding each other, but were trying not to _look_ like we were avoiding each other, for nearly the rest of the week. He started sleeping on the couch now and again, leaving me the bedroom to myself. He'd shower in the mornings, and I showered at night. He was gone before I woke up, usually to go for a run and grab breakfast. If he was here when I got back from classes, he was usually at the computer, doing homework, with very large and obvious orange headphones on.

Saturday, he got up early and left, as usual, but he didn't come back. I noticed then that he'd taken a bag with him, and had taped a message on my computer. _Went with Mia to the beach. Be back Sunday night._

I crinkled the note in my hand, then immediately smoothed it out. I tried to focus on my own homework, since there was a lot of it, but really couldn't. I felt very guilty, and very _angry_ , and a bit wounded that Liam took the first moment he could to get out of here and away from me.

But I had other things to attend to. I'd managed to find all the equipment by calling in favors to people I knew who were part of tour circuits, and it all waited in trucks under heavy invisibility shields in a parking lot not far away. Oleander had assured me that they'd sent the spells. Amanda came by Saturday night to inform me that most people were off campus, and if we wanted to set things up, the time was now.

Halfway through directing a crew on where to put things in the commons, I got an alert on my phone.

_Party to benefit fallen Chosen Ones. They won't go down silently. Free booze, music, and magic. Bring a friend. Open to all universities, Normals welcome._

The message then listed the musical acts I'd managed to scrounge up, again, people who owed me favors. They weren't small names by any means, not that they were Beyonce or Kanye. But they were enough to be recognized. Enough to get people interested.

As soon as I had read it, the message disappeared.

"Are you sure your magic can keep this masked until Monday?" I said, putting my phone away as Amanda passed by. It was night, so she wasn't wearing her usual array of heavy layers. It was weird to see her in denim shorts and a tank, with Chucks.

"Are you sure this is going to do what you said it was going to do?"

"Amanda..."

"Yes, I am sure. I've got like...ten other vamps on this. I'll get done." She sighed. "I can't believe I am actually helping you do this."

"I appreciate it, Amanda."

"Whatever." She gave me a half smile, however, and moved off to do whatever it was she was doing before I'd interrupted her. Both she and Oleander had recruited other elves and vampires, who were helping the them and the crew I'd hired to get things set up.

Set up worked into Sunday night, and was finalized sometime between Sunday and Monday. More layers of spells were set upon everything, which would mean a heap of unpleasantness for anyone who would have the bad luck of running into a support pole or something on Monday. However, most of campus had returned on Sunday and was aware of what was going on.

I made it to the dorms sometime around two in the morning to see that Liam was back. He was asleep on the couch, but as soon as I had come in, he'd wakened. He looked a bit more tan, and his hair, a bit more light. "Oh," he said. "You're back."

"Yes. Have a fun time?"

He gave a half shrug. "It was alright."

"I'm glad." I went into the bedroom and set to washing my face and brushing my teeth. To my surprise, Liam went to his own bed and crawled in. I decided against saying something snarky. Besides, I was exhausted. "Did...you hear of the party tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I got the notice on my phone."

"Are you going to go?"

"I don't know. Its probably best for everyone if I didn't."

He wasn't wrong, but I wanted him to go, I realized. I _really_ did. "I'm sure you could go."

"No," Liam sighed. "You were right. I was...being stupid last week. That's why I went with Mia. I didn't really...want to put anyone in danger."

I looked over at him, my face dripping after having washed it. I hurriedly toweled off. "Oh. I...didn't realize. I'm sorry, Liam. I hadn't meant to make you feel fearful. I had only...I just...I really didn't want..."

"Its alright," he said. He curled more into his blankets, and buried part of his face into his pillow. "I was an asshole. I'm sorry."

I went to lean against the partition that marked the beginning of the bathroom and the end of the bedroom. "So...would you go to the party then?"

"Maybe. I don't know." He curled in more. "I'll think about it."

"Very well," I said softly. I turned back to the bathroom, but not before glancing over my shoulder once more at Liam. "Goodnight, Liam."

"Mmmhmm..."

I turned away, smiling softly.

....

Monday morning, I woke to find myself alone, and Liam's bed made. His running shoes were gone, but his bags were all there. Sighing, I got ready and headed off to class. In the commons, no one was the wiser to the huge lighting and sound structures set up around them. Even I couldn't see it. I reminded myself to thank Amanda again for all her hard work.

I went to class - Applied Magical Theories - and did my best to focus on the lecture. Instead, my eyes were focused on my phone, and the muted video of the aftermath of the greenhouse attack. I kept replaying the scene where Liam and I were standing on the greenhouse rubble. Then the one where we were standing together in the autumn vignette.

I reminded myself that _he_ had grabbed _my_ hand, not the other way around.

I hoped he'd show up to the party, if only so that I could see him again, happy, and smiling, and not worrying about the curse.

....

Crowds began seeping into campus even before the day's classes ended. I headed back towards my dorms while having to push myself past crowds of magicals and Normals alike. I'd almost made it to the dorms when Oleander and Amanda caught up to me. "People are pre-partying in the parking lots," Amanda hissed.

"Is that so?"

"Most of these people are from other magic campuses," Oleander said. "The word got out. Someone was able to grab the message before it disappeared, and forwarded it to a few other campuses." They looked worried. "You...ordered enough supplies, correct?"

"Yes, and then some." I'd hired a bar service, a magical one, and had told them that no cup was allowed to be dry the entire night.

"What about games? And entertainment?" Amanda asked.

"Everything is taken care of." I walked backwards, away from them, as we neared the Normal's dorms. "Please. Go get ready. I want you to enjoy yourselves as well. I need to go get ready."

They both looked a little unsure, but nodded and moved off. I sighed and went into the dorms. When I got to the room, Liam was there, at his computer, headphones on. I sighed. This was a message received well that he did not want to be talked to. I decided not to argue it, and went to go get ready.

I decided to wear a metallic jacquard Dolce and Gabbana suit jacket, with the patterns creating stained glass inspired geometric patterns. I paired this with a plain black shirt which I left unbuttoned for one or two buttons, and I rolled up the jacket sleeves. My pants were plain black. Not wanting to appear too flashy - I thought, staring at this _very_ flashy suit - I ended it all with some black Doc Martens. I combed my hair mostly to one side to create a dramatic look.

I even put on a bit of silver eyeliner.

I was finishing with a bit of cologne when Liam entered the room without looking up. "Just trying to find a notebook," he muttered. The orange headphones were draped around his neck.

"How do I look?" I'd asked it before I could think better of it. I cursed myself, but he'd already looked up at me.

"Very you," he said, smiling. "And...very..."

"It's too much?" I looked down at the look.

"No. You, uh...it would look like shit on anyone else."

"Thanks," I said, laughing. I put on the cologne. "Are you sure you don't want to go?"

"Nah. I have homework I didn't work on over the weekend, and, like I said...I'd rather not chance it. But have fun. Tell me all about it."

He gave me a smile, then found his notebook and disappeared out the room.

I sighed, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn't kidnap him and force him to go. And he was right. Besides, if this worked, there would be other parties.

Maybe some he would go to _with_ me.

I tried not to imagine it, but I did. Him, on my arm, wearing a cute button-down and some slacks. Me, wearing, well, this. He was smiling, and happy. And his hand was in mine.

Right.

Time to get this going, and to force the dean's hand.

If possible.


	21. The Tunnel of Love

Just because I had decided not to go to the party didn't mean I didn't hear it.

It started with an explosive eruption of sound, just as soon as the sun had begun to set. It caught me off guard, because I was expecting some sort of magical frat party, but this sounded more like a rave. Neon lights shone through the windows, and I felt ripples of magic as spells were either activated or dissipated. Curious, I took off my headphones and moved the drapes to look outside.

Far into the campus commons, there was a _stage_ with a DJ, and frames holding flashing neon lights. Spotlights crisscrossed into the sky. Spells created holographic illusions here and there in the form of sparkles and light effects. Rings and scarves dangled from frames where dancers dangled, their movements corresponding to magical displays that flowed about them. There were even fire and hoop dancers on the stage by the DJ.

The entire commons were _filled_ with people who were cheering as the party got under way.

I frowned. What the hell was going on? The message on my phone hadn't implied that there would be a rave. Just a party, to benefit fallen Chosen Ones (or their families, I assumed). It was so boring sounding that when Mia asked what was going on, I had told her it was probably a lame elf party on campus.

 _Is this why Julian wanted me to go? Did he know it was going to be like this?_ I looked all around, but couldn't make out any one person in the crowd, which was now jumping up and down in waves in tune with the music. Laser lights painted the crowd a rainbow of colors. I spotted bar stations here and there, and realized that this was not only _not_ a boring elf party, it was also not a party sanctioned by the campus. This was a party _designed_ to ruin the campus, and was filled with so many people, it was obvious that there were several campuses in attendance.

I stared out over everything, and could somehow detect traces of magic over the equipment, the stage, and even the performers. Not the magic having to do with displays that the crowd was enjoying, but other types of spells. Invisibility spells. Spells forcing people to pay no mind to what they saw. Spells that were designed to keep everything secret until the moment the party had started.

 _Julian knew_.

I thought of how Julian had come in late the night before and had asked about the party, despite days of us barely talking to each other. At first, I thought he'd finally forgotten about everything and had decided to go out and enjoy his life, but he looked tired, and had been wearing joggers and a tee, which he never wears out in public. With sneakers. He looked like he had gone for a run, or a hike, or both. And I knew enough about him now to know that he did neither of those things for fun.

He'd asked if I was going.

Then, he'd done the same before leaving for the party.

If anyone could pull this off, it was Julian. He had the funds, and I'm sure the determination, if he really wanted to party. And I was sure if he was going to make a spectacle, he wouldn't do things by halves.

I watched the party for a few more minutes until I decided that I couldn't just stay there. I knew it was best for me to stay, after all, that had been the subject of the fight Julian and I had had. But...I really wanted to be down there. If anything, just to see it first hand. Just to say I had been there.

The excitement had gotten a hold of me, much like the excitement of anticipation one feels when heading to Disneyland or Six flags, or after a really good movie, when you're energized and feel a bit invincible. Maybe it was a spell calling me in. Maybe it was the magic inside me.

I turned away from the window and went to the closet, but realized I had nothing to wear. Nothing like what Julian had, however. Nothing _nice_. I looked to his portion of the closet and sighed. Most of it was wrapped up in dry cleaner bags. All of it was black, or dark blue, or even dark purple. I pulled out one garment and couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be. I shoved it back into the closet.

I then found a pair of nice pants he had, and a nice, black button-down that had a blue sheen to it. I looked at the tags. Prada. I didn't even know what store sold Prada. Macy's, maybe? Bloomingdale's? Either way, I tried everything on, but there was a problem. Julian was taller than I was, with his height being in his legs, and slimmer. I was shorter, a bit more muscular, and broader in the shoulders. I couldn't even get the shirt on, and the pants were too long and didn't button at the front.

Frowning, I tried thinking of what to do. I remembered a spell I had seen in an introductory video to magic that was shown on PBS some years ago.

"Like a glove," I said. I felt magic envelop me, and then, the garments I was trying to fit into changed. The shoulders had more give in the shirt, and I was actually able to get my arms in all the way. The pants shortened to the proper length, and the waistband loosened and then, the pants fell off my hips, as they weren't buttoned. I pulled them back up and buttoned them, then the shirt. I tucked it in and looked at myself in the mirror.

The clothes seemed cut for my frame, although I wasn't a big fan of the dark colors. I instantly felt more fancy, though. I found myself standing up straighter and admiring the slope of my shoulders in the shirt. I found a pair of shoes that seemed to match, and magicked them to fit too, as my feet were a size or two too small. After that, I tackled my hair, did a dry shave, and looked myself over again.

I looked presentable. I was sure Julian would finish this off with a gaudy jacket or a gleaming watch. Looking, I found a silver watch that looked like it would match, and put it on. I then scrawled a note for him. "In case you get here before me, and we don't meet up, I borrowed some of your things." I frowned. It felt a little like stealing. I hoped he wouldn't mind.

I headed out of the dorms and out into the commons, and was _immediately_ greeted by a thick, partying crowd. The ambiance was so loud and so soaked in magic that I felt my nerves tingle all over. I looked about, but I could barely make heads or tails of what I saw. It was so different from what I saw from above, where everything was laid out and easy to pick through.

Here, I was steeped in it. The excitement - or magic - wrapped around me and pulled me in. I wasn't a dancer by any means. Mia told me I was king of the side-to-side shuffle, or the barely-a-dance that boys tended to adopt at high school dances. Luckily, no one here seemed to notice, and everyone seemed to be jumping up and down in tune to the music anyway. I was about to be swallowed into the crowd when someone grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me aside.

It was a nearly purple girl with pointed ears and fangs. I took a step back in fright, realizing she was a vampire. She rolled her eyes at me. "Calm down, I don't bite!" She had to yell to be heard over the music, and even then I had to lean in to hear her...even though I really didn't want to. "I'm Amanda! Julian had me wait here in case you came out!"

I felt a bit angry at that. "I'm allowed to enjoy a party!"

"What? No one said you couldn't! Come on!" She looped her arm through mine and led me along through the crowd. I thought of maybe trying to get away. After all, I didn't know this vampire, and I didn't know where she was taking me. She led me under frames where elven dancers dangled from scarves. A dancer waved at me before springing back up her scarves through the power of magic. Flames erupted overhead as firedancers breathed fire over the crowds. The music was so loud and deep that it thrummed through me. Or it was the magic. I couldn't tell.

We emerged from the thick of the crowd somewhere on the other side of the commons. People were still everywhere, but they were more concerned with getting drinks or partying with their own groups, unlike the crowd by the stage, which was thick and heady with the excitement of music. The crowds seemed to part to reveal Julian standing off to the side, arms crossed, his eyes surveying the progress of the party.

He spotted me, and a smirk played out on his face.

"See," Amanda said, pushing me towards Julian. "I said I didn't bite."

"I'm glad you could make it," Julian said. He blinked. "Is that my Prada?"

"Yeah, uh," I smiled a bit sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind. I didn't have anything to wear."

"No, not at all," Julian looked me over. "You look good."

"Thanks." I blushed, so I turned away to look over the crowd. "I don't know how, but you did this, didn't you?"

"Yes," Julian said. "I admit it."

I looked over at him, as he had returned to looking over at the crowd. Amanda was doing the same, although she had met up with a few more vampire-looking individuals not far off from us. "You don't seem to be enjoying it, though."

"Hmm?" Julian met my eyes.

"If you threw this party and paid for...all this..." I motioned to the huge scene. The stage. The performers. The crowd. "Why aren't you out there, you know, partying?"

"The party isn't for me," Julian said. "To be honest, I'm really not in the partying mood."

"Why not? Did something happen?"

"No. I am just...trying to be useful."

I didn't miss the jab, even though it hadn't come out like a purposeful jab. "Julian...I'm sorry, okay. I was angry. I didn't mean it."

"No, you were right. I want to crack this curse as much as anyone, and I am not about to make other people do it for me." Julian set his jaw. "So, I decided to do what I do best." He smirked over at me. "Cause hell and make life hard for people."

I raised a brow, but Julian had taken that moment to call over a bartender from a nearby bar station. "A Corona for me. With lime. And whatever my friend is having."

"A vodka soda," I said. "With lime, please." Julian gave the guy a tip, and the waiter moved off to get our drinks. "Did you pay for _all_ of this?"

"Oh no, of course not," Julian said. "My father did."

I scoffed a laugh. "What? Does he know?"

"He will."

"Julian!"

"What? He sent me here to get killed. He used me to build up his own ego. He can fork out for my attempts to save our hides."

I laughed. "You have some cajones, you know that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're fucking _bold_." I paused as the waiter came back with our drinks. "You know, there's better than Corona out there."

"Its kind of growing on me," Julian said, poking his lime down into his bottle. He took a swig. "If you ever come to England, I'll ply you with our most stereotypical and lackluster drinks to compensate."

"If I ever go to England?"

"Yes, when we break the curse, and are free of this place." Julian motioned about us.

"Are you drunk already?"

"Absolutely not," Julian said, which I thought was a lie. He faced me fully. "Why did you come out, Liam?"

"To, um..." I thought. "To apologize, I guess. I was a dick. You were just trying to be protective. And I don't really know what all this is about..." I motioned to the party. "But I know you have a plan in mind. I know you're trying. I went for the low blows. I'm sorry."

"As am I," Julian said. "I never meant to drag anyone into this mess, least of all you. I am...beyond grateful, though, that it is you." He bit at his lip a bit. "Somehow, you make it all bearable."

I blushed again. "Well, um...yeah, but you still owe me a car. Or your sister does."

Julian laughed. "Of course." He took a sip of his drink, and I did the same.

"This is...beyond top shelf," I said, amazed. "I feel a little bad drinking this if you're drinking a crappy Corona."

Julian laughed. "Don't worry. I am enjoying all this, a little, in my own way."

"Yeah?"

Julian opened his mouth, and somehow, I felt he was going to follow with a flirt. _I'm enjoying it now, more, with you here_ , or, _the party can start now that you're here_. But he stopped himself. Instead, he just held up his drink in a cheers and took a sip.

I took a rather large gulp of my drink, then set it aside. "Hey, Julian?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go somewhere?"

This caught Julian's attention. "Somewhere?"

"Yeah." I held out my hand. Julian looked at it, then at me.

"Liam, I thought you said..."

"I change my mind." I shrugged. "The perks of being human."

Julian hesitantly put out his hand, then slowly put it in mine. I closed my fingers about his palm, then led him away. At first, I really didn't know where to go, but then, I found us moving out of the commons to the main building. Instead of going in, however, I magicked open a locked garden gate, then led Julian up a service ramp that led to a set of stairs which took us to a tower trimmed with true medieval style parapets. We moved to the natural barrier of the castle and looked out over the party below. The tower was taller than the dorms, about five or six stories, so we got a good view of the entire campus.

From this angle, the party was _massive._ I shook my head after realizing the enormity of it all. "This is nuts, Julian."

"Is it?"

I turned away from the party. Julian stood there, his hand still in mine, looking at me. "I...meant the party."

"Hmm," Julian set his drink on the parapet and rested his back against it as well. He shifted his hand in mine so that now he held my hand up, and drew it to him. I thought he was going to do something cheesy, like kiss my knuckles. Instead, he enclosed my hand in his other one as well, and pulled me closer. "I understand the perks of being human," he said, turning his gaze from my hand to me. "But I don't want to force you to do anything you aren't ready for, Liam. I like you. I think you're...handsome. And genuine. Dedicated and understanding, when warranted. Are you sure you want to get involved with someone like me?"

"Define 'someone like you'." I stepped closer to him.

"I'm a fuck up, Liam. How do you know I don't deserve this mess?"

"No one deserves this. Unless you're like...Hitler or something. Trump. Hell, even those people who charge you money to use restrooms in downtown Los Angeles. You're just...you're _normal_ , Julian."

Julian blinked, as if genuinely surprised by that.

"You don't think you're normal?"

"I don't even know what normal is."

"It means just being human," I smirked "Welcome to the shitty club." I took his other hand in my other one, then stepped closer again. I felt bold, so I did what I wanted. If I didn't, I knew I would get stuck in anxiety, doubting what I should do. So I did it. I leaned up, and kissed Julian.

I felt him suck in air just beforehand, and he was holding his breath the whole time. He kissed me back, though, pulling at my lips like I was somehow supplying him oxygen. I pulled away, but he kissed me back. And again.

"Liam," Julian said when he needed to breathe again. "I don't...I need..."

"Hey. Let's just...forget it all. For now."

Julian's eyes met mine. We were so close, and it was so dark, I could only tell by the glitter of light in his eyes. He cleared his throat. "Alright."

"I just want to stay here, and make out, and not worry about any other shit until later."

"I think that can be arranged." Julian's hand cupped my jaw and neck, and he pulled me in for another kiss. I leaned against him, which allowed him to put his other arm about me. I held him close, my hands at his neck and my fingers brushing his hair, and let him kiss me again.

He pulled me closer, and I realized that we were now flush. I let him manipulate me so that he led the kiss. He, after all, knew more about all this than I did. And I did my best to ignore all that so that I could enjoy everything he did. How his lips paired to mine, softly, delightfully. How his tongue touched mine. How he coaxed my mouth open and drew me in, wanting more of him, and how his touches were light and yet, at the same time, stoking fire along my nerves.

The world of the thumping party below, and the threat of the curse, and everything else we both had to worry about just...melted away.

I found my hand trailing down to Julian's throat, where my fingers traced the curves of his Adam's apple, his clavicle, and throat's hollow. My fingers found the lapel of his shirt, and I caught a whiff of his cologne. His hand came up to hold mine as it rested on his chest. I felt magic pour into him, and I could feel his heartbeat reverberate to me.

I wanted him.

I didn't know _how_ I wanted him, but I just...wanted to be closer than this. I felt doubt creeping in once more, and I pulled away. I rested my forehead against his, my hands against his chest, and the weird patterns of his jacket.

"This jacket is something," I said. We laughed.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Maybe." I raised my head. "I know where this goes. And...I want it. But..."

"Hey. Like you said. We can just...enjoy this. I am...thrilled to hear you say that. Beyond thrilled...but I am content just to be here with you." Julian bit his lip, and I think if I had had no inhibitions, he would have pushed me against the wall and had his way with me right then. I felt excitement shoot through me as I realized that he felt the same way I did...for _me_. Instead, though, he just touched my jawline, his thumb coming up to touch my bottom lip. "Damn it, Liam. You don't realize how incredibly beautiful you are."

No one had ever called me _beautiful._ Certainly not another guy. Mia had said I was cute. Mom had said I was "her handsome little man" now and again, but, I didn't really think I was beautiful. Julian was beautiful. I was just...a normal guy.

Julian pulled me into making out with him again. I let my anxiety go, and did my best to just...be in the moment. I was kissing another boy. I was kissing Julian. _Julian_. Gorgeous, ridiculous, _impossible_ Julian, who was even better up close than he was in the car. Julian, who looked at me as if captivated, while we were in the fall forest. Julian, who came running to help me at the greenhouse. Julian, who punched through a wall with magic to try to save me.

Wonderful Julian, with the addictive kiss that I just could not, for the life of me, find myself getting enough of...

...

It was the eruption of fireworks that caused us to finally pull away from each other. We looked up at the explosions - which were magically powered, and erupted into various shapes and figures - and I felt Julian's arm circle my waist to pull me close.

"I am _really_ glad you decided to join the party," Julian said.

I grinned. "Yeah, me too."

"Even if you did take my Prada."

I raised a brow at him.

"Did you...make sure you didn't 'fits like a glove' my entire wardrobe?"

"Uh...that can happen?"

Julian looked a bit afraid. I laughed.

He kissed my cheek, then my neck. Then my lips, before returning his attentions to my neck again. The touch gave me goosebumps, and my hand, at the back of his neck, attempted to pull him closer. We ignored the cracks and booms of the fireworks above, although I could see the flash of colors through my closed eyelids.

One particularly close firework exploded with an ear-splitting bang above us, catching our attention.

Or was it the split of the stone floor beneath our feet. We backed off each other a bit and looked down at the ground, but it was really only visible when a firework cracked off. The ground trembled under us, and the tremble was great enough that the Corona bottle fell from the parapet to break open and spill its contents. We backed up more as the floor began to crumble, and floor stones cracked to fall out to the darkness below.

"Get to the stairs!" Julian shouted. We ran along the edge of the tower, with the hole that was forming creeping towards us. We made it to the stairs, where the steel railings of the stairs, and the decorative strappings of the building ripped free from their anchors and flew towards us. Julian leapt towards me to push me away, but the metal pieces only crisscrossed each other, creating a barrier between us and the stairs.

I had enough time to look up into Julian's eyes, which were wide, his pupils too small, before the ground gave way under us.

I clasped my arms and legs around him as we fell. Julian screamed something, out of reflex, I think, even though he didn't have any magic. I felt his magic activate within me, begging to be freed, so I repeated what he said. "I can fly higher than an eagle! For you are the wind beneath my wings!"

I didn't recognize the spell at all, or what it was based off of, but the effect was immediate. We instantly stopped falling as a rush of wind came up from under us, but that was not all. I felt myself becoming somewhat buoyant, and, blinking, I was aware of red flaps of fire sprouting from my back, in the shape of...eagle's wings.

"Ha!" Julian exclaimed, laughing. "It worked!" He tightened his grip about me and looked down. We hovered in the middle of the tower, which was multi-storied, but we could see the floors beneath us begin to crumble as well. A shell of the tower remained as its innards came crashing down. We began to lower, slowly, as the rush of air dissipated, but luckily the wings kept us safely aloft.

"Holy shit!" I grasped onto Julian as if he were the one with magic and wings, and I was the one in danger of falling. "What the actual fuck!"

"The spell should just carry us down softly," Julian said. "Just...don't let me go."

I nodded, but I was absolutely scared shitless. We lowered almost too slowly, or, maybe time only seemed to be passing too slowly. I couldn't peel my eyes from the hollowing tunnel under us, and grabbed onto Julian even _tighter_ when I noticed steel strappings along the insides of the tower disengaging themselves from the walls and rubble below. "Julian!"

"I see them...try casting 'Like a Rock!'"

I shouted it, just as the steel strappings split amongst themselves and created pointed bands that shot towards us. A red echo of energy erupted from me, but the quality of it must have been just like a rock, as the steel slammed right through it. The bands pierced the energy wings, doing no damage, but then my shoulder, my leg, and right through my left ribcage. I screamed in pain, and heard a mirror scream come from Julian.

He had also been pierced through, with the finger of steel poking just out just below his left shoulder. "Julian!"

He blinked, and then was pierced through by his arms, his legs, and once through his right hip. The bands pulled him away from me, and we tried our best to hold onto each other, but we were caught, stabbed, and held away from each other in what now looked like a weird web of steel candyfloss spun about in the middle of the open tower.

We hovered there, suspended somewhere between the floor and the top of the tower. Blood seeped from our wounds and dripped from where it pooled at the lower points of our bodies. From our elbows. From Julian's shoes. From soaked clothing.

I met Julian's eyes, or tried to. His eyes were staring straight forward, and I couldn't tell if he was alive or dead.

And then, dark shadows began to pour in from the open doors below, the windows, and from the gaping hole above. All I could see from them was the glow of their eyes, and the whites of their fanged teeth, and the shapes formed by giant batlike wings.

They crawled down the sides of the stone tower, and skittered down the steel webs, their forms causing the steel to creak and bend.

And I could do nothing as one of them reached a giant clawed hand towards Julian's head.


	22. Hard Candy

Liam began freaking out.

"It's...okay..." It was getting really hard to breathe. Like there was a weight on my chest. Or in my throat, and it was pulling me down. I was aware of all the steel...things poking out of me. One was right out of my chest, precariously close to my heart. The fact that I was not dead already, I thought, was a sign that my heart was still okay.

But there were other things in there I'd really rather not have stuck through with steel.

I felt Sozzagoz touch my shoulder, then heard him growl. "Its okay. I am a professor here."

Liam nodded, but he didn't appear to not be freaking out. He was breathing heavily, rigid, eyes wide. "You'll have to excuse him...sir..." I managed. "He's not seen many magical types..."

"I'm not offended." Sozzagoz moved to metal that was not connected to either Liam or I. "I am afraid if I move the metal, I will harm you more than help you."

Liam's eyes kept moving to the other forms moving through the shadows. "Are those more...um...?"

"Gargoyles?" Sozzagoz shook his head. "Those are your vampire friends."

"How come..." God, it all hurt. Too much. "I'm not dead?"

"The curse has you where it wants it," Sozzagoz said. He looked about. "Although I, too, am perplexed."

A shadow flew up to our other side, and materialized into Amanda, or, at least, it had the smokey features of Amanda. "We're going to try to get help, and release the bars."

I nodded. "Please hurry," I said. "I'm feeling a bit like...a kabob here..."

"No one wants to bite you, Julian," Amanda said as her mist dissipated. "Who knows where you've been?"

I raised my brows. "Fair enough."

"I, too, shall find a way to release you from the bars. We may have to cut you out so that proper medical professionals can remove them more safely." And with that, Sozzagoz attempted to take a bite at the bars. The bars bent, but did not snap. Liam cringed at the pain caused by the bar moving, as it was the one that poked through his arm. When further bites did not work, Sozzagoz gave a rumble and began climbing away. "Perhaps there are bolt cutters on campus..."

"We'll just be here," I said. I coughed. "Hanging about."

Liam looked horrified.

"What?"

"You're coughing blood."

"Oh. My lung must be punctured." I smiled weakly. "Joy."

We felt the bars vibrate as the others did what they could to sever them, but the steel seemed to have no way of giving. The vampires could be heard shouting spells at the steel. Sometimes a bar would come loose and clatter below, but they were never bars that were connected to us.

"Julian?"

I raised my head. It took, for some reason, an immense amount of effort. Liam was swimming in my vision. "Yeah?"

"Wake up, okay?"

I was awake. I blinked at him in confusion, but he was just...shouting at me to wake up. Soon he was just making motions with his mouth, but then, soon black started invading my vision. I wanted to tell Amanda to get out of my way, that I couldn't see Liam anymore, but, then...

...all the pain and sight and sound just...went away.


	23. Powerful Pop Rock

At some point, Julian stopped responding, no matter how loud I screamed at him.

He hung there, eyes closed. He was limp. He looked like a very fancy marionette being pinned to the wall. If it were not for the dripping blood, you'd think he was a mannequin with how ashen he had gotten. If not for the slow rise and fall of his chest, and the blood dripping from his mouth, I would have thought he was truly dead.

I wrapped my hand against the bar on my arm and pulled myself forward. The pain was nearly blinding. It stole the breath out of me, and took my voice with it. I could feel every imperfection of that steel bar as it went through my arm, and I could feel the slide of blood and disrupted flesh behind me. I managed it again, then once more, before the pain was too much, and my energy was sapped.

It was then that the gargoyle professor returned, having dropped from the sky with a set of bolt cutters. "I managed to find these in a janitor's closet," he said. He looked to my arm, and the bar that was, by now I was sure, covered in blood. He put the bolt cutters around it.

"No!" I yelled it at him. "Julian first! He isn't...he's coughing blood and isn't responding!"

The gargoyle rumbled and turned to Julian. He lifted Julian's head and gave his cheek a slap with his meaty paw. Julian did nothing. "You are right." The gargoyle put the bolt cutters against the bar connected to one of his arms. He brought down the jaws of the bolt cutters, but the tool did nothing except scratch the metal.

The gargoyle growled.

"Pull me off it," I said. "Pull me off, and I can...help..."

"Hardly," the gargoyle said. "I will just..."

The metal web _contracted_.

The gargoyle leapt up as the metal bars seemed to construct about the invisible center of the hollowed out tunnel. A few bars lashed out towards the gargoyle, but he managed to dodge swipes to his wings and legs. The vampires began flying about in their mist forms, dodging the chasing bars of metal. I returned my focus to the bars holding me, and continued trying to shove myself off the bar on my arm.

I screamed and pulled, and then, my arm was loose.

I looked down at the hole in it. I could put my finger through it if I wanted, which was a weird thought to have when you were in so much pain and so many more important things were happening. I looked at my other wounds. If I freed my shoulder, I'd have no support for it. But if I freed it last, then my whole weight would be on that point. And the bar poking it was facing in. I began to shove myself backwards, but this was harder, and as soon as I tried, I think I blacked out a bit.

This was not going to work. I needed a spell to get out of this, but unfortunately, the one person who knew spells who was not flying around as mist was not conscious. I knew a little of steel and iron. You could dissolve it with acid. Nitric acid. It would create gas that would kill us both. You could also melt it with heat...which would suck if we were still attached. Which we were. You could bend it with force but not even the gargoyle could do much about that, and he seemed to be the strongest person here.

I needed the metal to just...go away. Disappear. And go somewhere else. I didn't care where. Just not here.

Or...for us to disappear and go somewhere else.

"Amanda!" I called it out. It came out as a broken shriek. Her mist form appeared before me, and then it grew features, and then she materialized. She was...a very huge bat. A cute bat. But a huge one.

"What?"

"I need a...Wayfinder..." I held out my hand. "Please. We're dying here..."

She dodged a swipe at her from one of the bars, and the bars moved _again._ I screamed as the metal shifted. It felt like my legs were going one way and my torso another. "Hold on!" She transformed, literally transformed before my eyes, into a more human looking being, but with no wings she had to balance herself on the bars and myself to keep from falling. The added weight was horrendous, and I grit my teeth and forced myself to breathe. She pulled off her Wayfinder and put it around my neck. "You know how it works?"

"Yeah, kinda..."

"Just think of where you want to go..."

"I got it!"

She transformed again, then to the mist form once more, and was gone.

I had to do this. I'd never done it. What if I did it wrong? What if I ended up Picasso-ing myself in the process? Or what if I was able to do it, but it sent me somewhere I didn't want, and I couldn't help Julian? It didn't matter. I had to try. And hopefully I'd come out of this not only free of the bars, but with all my limbs and body parts where they should be.

I tried to think of Julian's description. The right vibe. The place where I want to be has to vibe with the destination. Well. I wanted to be right next to Julian, which is what the curse wanted, and it seemed, the school as well. I closed my eyes and put out the thought, like I had with the greenhouse. _Just get me next to Julian...and free of the bars..._

Something happened, and I felt the remaining bars that had skewered me disappear from me. A weird G-force type of sensation happened, like when you were on a crazy ride at Six Flags and the membranes within your sinuses feel like they're peeling away from bone? I opened my eyes to see literally nothing, and then, I was ten feet away from where I had been, right next to Julian.

I had a second or so to grab onto the bars near him before I fell. I clung to them, my injuries making it hard. My feet slipped on the bars, and the blood dripping to my hands didn't make things easier also. But I managed to reach over and grab onto Julian's shoulder, and then, asked the Wayfinder again. _Get us away from the bars, still in the temple, on the floor, just away from the bars, safe on the ground..._

The same effect happened again, but this time I could feel Julian's shoulder still in mine. When I opened my eyes again, we were on the broken bricks that now made up the floor of the ruined tower. I looked up, and the cyclone of bars was silhouetted in the light coming in from above. Vampires and gargoyle alike continued their battle.

I looked over to Julian. We'd both made it out in one piece, as in, I was my own one piece and he was also his own one piece. No strange switching of body parts or anything. I grabbed him up under the shoulders and did my best to drag him out the now ruined doors of the tower. Amanda and a few other vampires came down and transformed to help.

We laid him out on the ground outside. The rave was still going on, with everyone being completely oblivious to what was happening in the tower. I did my best to ignore the party as we got Julian situated. He was seeping blood, and he felt cold. He was barely breathing. "Oh, Jesus, okay..." I ran a bloodied hand through my hair in habit. "He's dying. How do we stop him dying? Doctor heal thyself?"

It was the only healing spell I knew, and it rippled through me. The holes in my body closed, and it was almost as painful as them being poked in the first place. I doubled over. Bones cracked as they moved back into place and healed. I hadn't even noticed broken bones. I felt a weird squelching sensation coming from my insides.

"I'm not big on healing spells," Amanda said, coming to kneel next to me. The other vampires shrugged and shook their heads. "Its not really a vampire forte."

"Do you have anything?" I looked to her, desperate.

"Cher," one vampire said.

"Yes, Cher!" the other said.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Guys..."

"It will work!" Vampire one said. "Just try it!"

"C'mon, what is it? I don't care if its fucking Elvis Presley, just give me something! He's _dying!_ "

"Fine! Alright! If I could turn back time."

"What is that?!"

"Just repeat after me." She then said a few lines of a song. It was obvious that she felt stupid singing it.

"What's that supposed to do?

"Just repeat it! Put your hands on him! Both of them!"

I put my hands on Julian's shoulders. I could barely feel him breathing now.

"Now say it!"

I did.

"If I could turn back time..." I sang it. I looked to Amanda, who nodded. I blushed at the words I would have to say next. "...if I could find a way...I'd take back those words that've hurt you and you'd stay...um...If I could reach the stars, I'd give 'em all to you...then you'd love me, love me, like you used to do..."

I felt magic _zap_ through me. The spell was so powerful that I felt as if someone had forced me to suck in air before punching it out of me, and my nerves were abuzz with raging pins and needles. My mouth gaped, and I gasped as the not painful, yet not pleasant feeling knocked through me. My vision went red, everything did. All I could feel that connected me to whatever was going on around me was the feel of Julian's weird metallic jacket under my palms.

When the red dissipated, the sensation still came through me. My eyes were already open so I was treated to Julian coming into view, as if he were far away and not right there in front of me. I saw little black...droplets moving towards us, floating about and pooling near Julian, like the liquid robot in Terminator or something. It took me a while to realize that it was _Julian's blood_. I looked over to Amanda and the others, but they were watching with wide eyed awe.

The blood collected - enough to fill a body - and then began _sucking_ back into Julian. The color of his flesh returned, and then, the wounds in his body began to heal from the inside out. I felt myself growing weaker, and I realized what was happening. The spell was turning back time for Julian, undoing the damage done, But the way was _through me_. The creative energy needed to repair a dying body was coming from the magic, yes, but also my own vitality.

As soon as Julian took a breath and his eyes opened, I wrenched my arms back and collapsed back onto the pavement, and gasped for air.

The magic slowly dissipated, leaving me in a pained and I was sure, contorted state. I felt like someone had shocked me, or I had been hit by lightning, or worse. Like static electricity was coursing through me. I didn't know what a lightning strike felt like, but, if it was worse than this, I didn't want to know.

I manage to eek out, "Doctor...heal...thyself..."

It took, but barely. Maybe because I was so tapped out, or maybe because I had just used the dang spell moments before. Most of the weird zapping sensation went away, but I was still left there, exhausted and brittle feeling.

Amanda came to my side and shook me. "It worked! Julian's alive! I've never seen anyone do that spell successfully!"

"You mean it hardly ever works?"

"It always works but...usually it kills the spell caster."

"You could have...told me that..."

She helped me to sit up, and I saw myself staring directly at Julian, who was being helped to sit up by the others. Aside from his ruined clothes and bloodstains here and there, he looked...fine.

He met my eyes.

We both moved at the same time, scrambling our exhausted and nearly dead selves over the gap between us to embrace each other. He kissed me, a fevered and quick kiss, then several more landed on my cheeks. "Christ, Liam...you could have died with that spell!"

"And you almost died a shish-kabob," I said, shakily. I gripped him hard and tried to ignore the hole on the back of his jacket. "Unseasoned British meat."

"Is that...a joke?" Julian chuckled. He looked at me fondly, though, and brushed my hair from my face. "Your hair is all bloody."

"So is yours."

A thud next to us broke us out of our reverie. It was the big gargoyle professor. "I am glad that both you and your boyfriend are safe," he said. I didn't even bother correcting him. "However, the Tower is still...active." He motioned behind us to the tower. We could hear metal clanging about inside. All of us looked to it in confusion. Shapes moved about inside the open door. The remaining vampires spilled out in various forms and came running.

Metal bars poked out of the doorway like tentacles.

They shot out at us.

I thought of a shield, or something, like the medieval metal shields, or a Roman one, something, I heard metal clang, and opened my eyes - which I had squeezed shut, because I am apparently _very_ brave - to see an energetic red shield attached to the arm I'd raised to protect myself from attack.

Julian and the vampires behind me were saved as the metal bars bounced off the shield.

The gargoyle and the remaining vampires had launched themselves up into the sky with a major flapping of huge wings.

Well, mostly all of them.

One of the bars had found a victim.

We sat there, gaping, astonished, as Amanda stared at us, one arm reaching out for us. A bar had coursed right through her in its attempt to get to us. Right through her chest. Right through her heart.

Her hands went to it, and she stared at it a bit dumbly.

We all scrambled to our feet and went to her. I did that trick again with the Wayfinder, disappearing and reappearing just a few feet away with her. She crumpled to the ground. "Quick!" I said to Julian. "A spell! Anything!"

He looked at me as if I had asked something absurd, at first, then shut his eyes and shook his head. Everyone huddled about her. Julian took her up in his lap, cradling her head.

"I'm...staked?" Amanda gasped it. Her voice shook with utter fear. "I'm staked!"

"Solpadeine...power to hit pain where it hurts," Julian whispered. "Say it."

I repeated it, although it sounded like a slogan of some sort. It didn't work. I was tapped. I looked to the others, and they pointed their wants to Amanda and repeated it. The spell took hold, and Amanda stopped writhing so much in pain. Her hand found mine. I held it.

"I'm dying," she said. She looked right to me. "Just...fucking beat this thing, alright?"

"Yes," I cleared my throat.

"Don't forget the heart," she said. Her eyes were so intense. "You hear me? Don't...fucking...forget the heart."

I blinked, confused.

She looked past me, to something past my shoulder. I looked, but nothing was there. I looked back to her, and she was smiling. "Marissa..."

I don't know when she died, but sometime between that last word and a few seconds later, her body began to take on a very...ashen appearance. Then, she began to _become_ ash. The form of her body melted away into unstable and formless ash, and it began to be carried away by any slight breeze or breath. Julian sighed and held out his hands, which were covered in it. "I feel like a jerk, but," he brushed the ash from his lap.

We heard more noises coming from the tower, and looked up. The gargoyle and other vampires were dodging animated metal bars, but now, the bricks of the building were beginning to come away from the tower itself. They remained clumped, and moved as if joined somehow. They seemed to flock like starlings, and came completely loose from the form of a tower to...whatever was happening. I realized the gargoyle and the vampires were casting spells.

"What the hell?" Julian stood next to me as the other vampires took off. "Can it...do that?"

I shrugged. Somewhere between the last attack and Amanda dying, my shield had gone out. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

I took a few steps, but Julian grabbed my hand and then pointed with the other.

The brick...somethings...were pulling up from the foundations, taking with it other parts of the attached buildings. The bars began to _weep_ some sort of liquid, and refined themselves to become pointier.

Julian looked to me in confusion.

I had no reply. And no time for one. The ground beneath us began to rumble, and then, black spiked and wet fingers of _something_ sprang from the ground. It looked like tar, and smelled like death. It ruptured the pavement, the grassy areas, and came up under the stages and floor where the rave was happening. Julian and I clung together, then found ourselves scooped up - the both of us - into very rocky and large arms. The gargoyle hefted us up into the sky, out of danger, but we could still see what was happening below.

The brickwork of the main building rotated upon itself like a rubik's cube, and the steel strappings all came alive. Them, and the black fingers of tar-like substance clawed at the grounds and shot out at any magic. It attacked the special effects, went after the elven dancers, even the DJ. The masses below gave out a giant, collective scream, and people went running everywhere. The ground buckled under people's feet as more of the black tarry substance erupted here and there. It destroyed the frames of the lighting and sound stages, and even shot towards other buildings.

"Holy shit," I muttered. "We have to get them out of there!"

"They must do that on their own," the gargoyle said. "I am afraid that we are all tapped out of magic at the moment. To go down there would be to add ourselves to any potential casualties."

Something groaned up above. We looked up to see the cloud castle above. It was a dark shape in a slightly starry night. But we could see the black substance drip from it, and the gargoyle was quick to fly away.

The castle tipped in the clouds, then came crashing down onto the main building.

The building didn't so much as crumble from the impact as it had absorbed the building into its weird shapeshifting ripples. Wings of the building grew out erratically, like fingers poking about. Doorways and windows opened and shut, their forms becoming crooked and misshapen. Roof tiles spilled down onto the brick and were adopted into the flow of ratcheting, cycling building materials. The whole thing rotated and spilled forward, and out, like a building forgetting the shape of a building, like a Gehry building facade set on caterpillar tracks headed in different directions.

"Was this what you were planning?" I asked to Julian.

He just shook his head, wide eyed.

"Let us get to a safer location. I have a condo on the other side of town," the gargoyle said. We nodded, and then, flew out into the night.


	24. Dicks for Dads

"You bloody did _what?_ "

I held the phone out from my ear as Father screamed at me from the other side. We were all sat in Sozzagoz's top floor, rather spacious condo. And by we, I meant myself, Liam, Oleander, Carter, plus a gaggle? Flock? Murder? Of vampires. Everyone was sitting about in wide eyed silence, freaked out by what had happened. Nobody wanted to sleep.

The vampires had managed to get away almost immediately, not wanting to stick around after one of their kind had gotten staked. I hadn't blamed them, nor did I blame them for not rescuing anyone on their way out. They got a bad rap, and stuck to their own for protection most of the time anyway.

Oleander had found us almost immediately, and let us know that most people got out of the school without incident. They'd found Carter along the way, taking video as people fled, and more or less dragged him out. Both Oleander and Carter had arrived at Sozzagoz's doorstep, dusty, dirtied, and a little worse for wear. It appeared that Carter's backup glasses had not fared well, as the opposite lens to his other pair was now cracked. He sat there with his cracked lens glasses, slumped on Sozzagoz's couch, looking very much like the definition of the saying, "bit off more than you could chew."

Liam was sat across from me at Sozzagoz's bistro style dining table. He'd crossed his arms and buried his head in them, and I had no doubt he was asleep. I watched him do nothing, probably smiling like a fool, as Father continued to rant from the phone. Father had called almost as soon as I had felt the adrenaline of the day's events leave me. He seemed to have a knack in sensing when I was at peace. I felt like I was able to tune him out, somehow, just by knowing that Liam was there, and that he was safe.

"Are you even listening?"

Father was quiet enough for me to put the phone back to my ear. "I am now."

"I don't understand what it is that I have to do to get through to you, Julian! You are single handedly the most hard headed and foolhardy individual I have ever come to know! You must get that from your mother's side of the family..."

"That must be saying something, considering the Tory cronies you consider friends." I sighed. "Look, Father, I am exceedingly exhausted, and would love to continue touching bases with you but..."

"I want you back here, immediately. Take the next plane. Charter a jet, if you have to."

"And I am glad to hear of your concern for me and my well-being, however..."

"I will charter the goddamn jet, then."

"But as you can tell, I am fine. Thanks so much, Father. I love you so much." I hung up the phone and leaned back in my seat, stretching my legs out in front of me. "Uuuuuugh."

Liam raised his head. His face was red and puffy, but I don't think he was actually asleep through most of that. "Your dad sounds cool."

I laughed tiredly. "Oh, he's great." I set the phone down on the table. "It won't be the last time I hear from him, I'm sure."

"So he's pissed not because of you throwing a rave, or because you destroyed the school because of the rave, but because of...how much you spent on the rave?"

"If there's one thing my Father loves more than attention or magic, its money," I sighed and sat up. I'd shed my destroyed jacket, but was still wearing a bloodstained and holey shirt. We'd all been cleaned up with a few, "You're not fully clean unless you're zestfully clean!" spells, but the clothes were just...worth tossing in the bin. "We should get going."

"I won't allow it," Sozzagoz said from his kitchen. He was busy cleaning things up. "I have a spare room that you can take, and of course, my couch. I'd prefer you, if you don't have family in the area, to stay here until you are safely relocated."

The vampires took this cue to get up and escape out the windows. Oleander stood and stretched, then came over to me. "I'm afraid I must ask for my point, Julian. There is little more I can do for this situation, and it is time I go home."

Liam fished in his pocket for the point and handed it over. "Thanks, Oleander. Even without this...you're a good friend."

Oleander took their point and put it back to their antlers. It was immediately healed back to the rack. Oleander smiled and gave me a hug. "I am glad that you did not die." They went to Liam and hugged him. "Same with you. I heard it was touch and go there for a moment."

"Touch and go?" I looked at Liam. "What was touch and go?"

"Uh...I...apparently used a spell that healed you while almost killing myself," Liam said.

"You used, 'If I could turn back time?'" My eyes widened and I looked to Oleander. "He used, 'If I could turn back time?'"

"Apparently so," Oleander said.

"Christ, Liam, you don't just _casually cast_ 'If I could turn back time!'" I ran my hands through my hair, which was crusty with blood.

"Well, I know that _now_ ," Liam said, shrugging. "I'd never heard of that before, and the vampires said it would save you...so I figured it was worth a shot."

Sozzagoz snorted from the kitchen. "Cher is one of the most powerful witches of the eleven dimensions," he said. "Most of her spells are actually banned, but Normals love them so much, her magic just keeps going on and on." He sipped from a tea cup that was comically small in his hands. "People think she continues to get plastic surgery to stay young, however, the use of her spells fuels her continued youth."

Liam was at a loss for words. "Well, good thing it... _didn't_ kill me?"

"Perhaps stay away from Cher from now on," Oleander suggested. "And while you are at it, Celine Dion as well. Dolly Parton is okay. She's quite benevolent. Anyway. I shall take my leave." They gave a small elven bow and then poked at the wall nearest to us with their wand. The wall rippled and sprang forth with vines and flowers that parted to create a doorway. Oleander disappeared into it, and the doorway closed. The flowers that had grown from the wall sprinkled the floor in petals and a smattering of magic dust.

"Is that a dimension?" Liam said, pointing his thumb at the wall.

"I'll take this part of the couch," Carter said. "I have someone coming for me in the morning." He pulled a pillow to his chest, leaned his head back, and shut his eyes.

"Take the bed," I said, motioning to the hallway. Liam looked to me. "I'll take the couch." I looked to the other section of the rather plush couch. It was a huge couch, actually, as in, the back was tall and the seats were deep. Carter's knees didn't meet the edge of the seat, so his feet sort of dangled. It looked comfortable, actually, so I didn't know why Carter didn't recline. Maybe he was too paranoid to allow himself to relax fully.

"There's a bathroom in the spare bedroom," Sozzagoz said. "I have extra toothbrushes and sundries in case you wish to wash up. Have a good night." He made his way out of the kitchen and down the hall, which was barely wide enough for his huge frame. His wings brushed the walls, and I felt bad for his downstairs neighbors for having to hear his thunderous footfalls.

I followed Liam into the spare bedroom's bathroom, where we took turns washing our faces and brushing our teeth. We were quiet as we did so, as we were beyond knackered. I left the bathroom and headed towards the bedroom door. "Good night, Liam."

"Hey."

"Hmm?" Liam grabbed my hand and pulled me back inside the room. "What's wrong?"

"You can...stay here, if you want."

I raised a brow. Or tried to. My eyelids were so heavy, I fear I might have just raised them both, with barely opened eyes.

"I'd feel better." He motioned to the bed, then ran his hand through his hair. He had run some water through it to try and clean it, so it was halfway damp. "Don't...make that face. I'm not going to...make a move on you or anything."

"Pity," I said. I winced. "Sorry. It's a reflex!"

"Just...get in bed," Liam pulled down the covers - Sozzagoz had chosen a peach pink duvet set that was trimmed in ruffles and soft pompoms. There were framed pictures of watercolor geometrics here and there, and the bed frame was sat on a fuzzy faux sheepskin rug. When I shut out the lights, there was a nightlight that spilled spiralling stars over the popcorn ceiling.

Liam climbed into the bed, which was a queen size, and pulled the covers practically to his nose. I shrugged and chucked my shoes, then climbed in as well. I met Liam's eyes and smiled. "Now what?"

"Go to sleep."

"Fine." I made myself comfortable and shut my eyes. It was just like being back at the dorm. I'd spent a week or so sleeping, more or less, with Liam in the same room. This was just the same, save for...he was in the same bed as I. And we were less than an arm's length apart from each other.

"Julian?"

"Hmm?" I opened my eyes, glad that he had interrupted my line of thinking. He was looking at me from over the top of the covers, just his eyes visible in the low light.

"You...seem kinda...okay for nearly dying."

I reached over and pulled the covers down from his face. "Why do you cocoon yourself like that?"

I could tell Liam shrugged from even under the covers. "I like it. Its weird but like...I feel safer? Sucks when it gets hot though."

I pulled up the covers so that there was room between he and I. "You can come here if you want." I paused. "I promise I won't try anything."

He thought of it. "You still have to answer the question."

"Question? It was more of a statement. I didn't argue."

"Julian." Liam snagged the blanket from me, and pulled it so that I was partially uncovered. I tried to yank it back. "You almost died. That doesn't bother you at all? Not even a little bit?"

"I try not to think about it."

I could tell this was not a good enough answer for him.

"Liam..." I sighed and rolled onto my back. He let me take some blanket with me. I put my hands behind my head. "To be perfectly honest with you, and thinking you may want some honesty here, not just the surface kind..."

"Yeah...no bullshit." His tone wasn't mean or anything. He sounded more sleepy than anything.

"To be honest with you, death is...ok look." Why was this so hard? I frowned at myself. I wanted to shoot back at him, _why does it matter?_ _Why do you care?_ But Liam was not my dad. He wasn't fishing for something I would say that would lead to an argument he could easily win. Because Liam _did_ care. And he used "If I could turn back time" which shows that my death _does_ matter to him. "I don't...want to make you more upset by talking about it."

"I'd make me more upset if you didn't. Like...you don't really care if you die or not." He paused. "I like you. Like...enough to want to..."

"Be my boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Maybe. But I'm not going to do it just because its new and interesting. Its still a relationship. I need to know if like...you can just tell me things. Or do I have to keep thinking about what you're thinking?"

I breathed in deep and thought. It was only fair. "Seems fair."

"Then just tell me what's going on."

I was quiet for probably longer than I wanted to be. I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say, or rather, what I didn't want to say, but had to, because I _wanted_ to be with Liam, and I didn't want to fuck it up before it started. It was easier with Owen. All we did was fuck around and have fun. We didn't have to think too much about the deep shit. Maybe that's why it ended. Besides the fact that I was magic. We just...kept wanting the good times to keep going. Never saw the human side of each other.

My voice came out really low when it did come out. "I don't want to say I don't really care because I _do_. I care enough to try to get out of fucking Temecula Valley. But maybe getting out is just another 'fuck you' to my dad, right? He wants me to succeed in breaking the curse, then he can say its his superior magical Chosen One genes. If I die, then he gets the attention of having a son who would courageously die in the face of a challenge, forever loyal to his family and bloodline. If I just fucking left, he'd get neither."

"So you'd...rather die? Out of the two?"

"No. I like being alive, Liam. I really do. Don't think I'm out to get myself killed for fun. Or that I just want to get it all over with because I think my life is shit."

"I don't."

"But when it happened..." I tried to think about it. About blacking out with Liam being the last thing I saw. How it was as easy as falling asleep, and just as peaceful. "You don't worry about shit when you're dead, or close to it. You don't have to fulfill any expectations. You don't have to try to figure anybody out and try to stay one step ahead. Everything you're sad about or angry about doesn't matter anymore. Maybe you can still be afraid of dying after that but maybe, you know that at least all the crazy will go away. No buildings trying to kill you. Nobody begging you for a quote for their channel. No one is disappointed in you. Least of all yourself."

I blinked. I felt tears coming up in my eyes. I hurriedly wiped them away.

"Maybe it will scare me later, when this is all over, how fucked up it all is and how fucked up it is that I'm saying this." I swallowed. My throat was getting tight. "Maybe one day. Not now. I'll be fine. I'll be fine." The tears dripped down the side of my face and into my hair. I reached up to wipe them away and tried to turn to my side, away from Liam, but he'd grabbed my elbow and pulled me back. I shook my head and tried to get away as I just...started crying. It wasn't even a silent, manly cry. It was a sobbing cry. A horrible, gross cry.

Liam pulled me close and I put my arms up as if I was trying to block a hit or something. Instead, I rested my forearms on his chest, and curled my head under, and just...cried into him. I felt his arms embrace me as much as they could.

"It doesn't matter what I do," I managed to say after a bit. "I will always lose. He'll always wins."

"Fuck him," Liam said. That's all he said. I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. His fingers were in my hair. I just cried, ruining even more of his - my - destroyed shirt. I felt like an absolute prat, but I couldn't get myself to fucking stop. I don't remember crying this much ever. Not since Brioni had cursed my breakfast cereal to squirt milk back up into my face when I was four or so. I'd run to Mother, crying, and hugged at her legs. Milk dripped down my face.

_Are you bleeding? Do you have a broken arm? Has Brioni harmed you?_

She hadn't.

She'd only humiliated me.

Mother didn't even bother chastising me for running up to her. She just pulled me off her and shoved me away, and went back to whatever she was doing. I went back to her. She did it again. And again. Until I just sat there and cried until I didn't even have the energy to be humiliated anymore.

I had never shed a tear after that. And Brioni never stopped with her curses. They got worse. There were times where I was broken or bleeding. I didn't cry. I couldn't fight back either. She knew more than I did. So I just didn't try. And she got bored. Mother got bored, Father got bored.

It was the best defense I ever had.

And now, here I was, bawling my eyes out to my boyfriend - was he? Was he my boyfriend now? I was crying into the chest of my maybe-maybe-not-boyfriend, a guy who I'd escaped death with way too many times, who I hadn't spent nearly enough time just...being with. He didn't owe me this.

"Sorry," I croaked. "I'm sorry."

"Tomorrow let's just go. No more curse, no more bad dads, no more expectations. None of that matters. Just...you and me."

I looked to him. Could we just go? Could we both just throw it all away and just...disappear? Could I trust enough of anything to trust in Liam, and...step out into an unknown with him?

"Are you sure, Liam? I don't want you to give up everything just...for me."

"You're not the only one with a dick for a dad. I've got no reason to stay." He paused. "I'll go...if you go with me."

Quietness stretched out for a bit. I wanted to tell him no, that he shouldn't come with me. That he was better finding his own way. That I could run away but that didn't mean my dad or Brioni or someone wouldn't find me. That it was all doomed.

But I wanted to go. And I wanted to go with him.

"Alright."

Liam kissed me. 


	25. Carpet Bags

The best thing about the professor's condo was the huge shower he'd had installed in the bathroom.

I didn't know whose room it was, but I assumed it was another gargoyle, because the bathtub-slash-shower was huge. It could easily fit ten people. It had a slight raised tub edge, but you could nearly walk right in. Water came from a huge showerhead. It was like rainfall. It almost made using Mane n' Tail on my head worth it.

I may have stayed in there longer than a guest should. I just needed to like...rinse the day before off me. Even the night before. Seeing Julian cry was pretty jarring. I wanted to do something to make him feel better, but there was nothing I could do. There was nothing I could do or say that was going to make him feel better. I just held him and let him cry, and felt like a complete idiot for not being able to at least comfort him.

I woke up first. Julian had fallen asleep curled into me. He was never the first one to wake up, so I got up and started getting ready, all the while thinking...who the fuck fucked up so badly with someone as smart and powerful and _wonderful_ as Julian?

I assumed it was his dad. He sounded like a dick on the phone, screaming about how much money Julian had spent. I was surprised about the amount of money, but only because I've never heard that sum in my life. From what I understood, it was just pocket change to someone like Mr. Shadowcut, Sr. But I knew not just one person could ruin a life. It takes effort.

My dad was a dick to me, but like...it'd be worse if Mom was not ever there for me. She helped him but I could at least go to her. Kinda. And at least I had Mia. Until that fell through. But still. There was always someone.

Who did Julian have?

I got out of the shower and combed my hair, then found stuff for a shave, and cleaned up. I then realized that I had absolutely no clothes to wear. I looked down at the pile of ruined Prada clothes with the blood stained Wayfinder on top of it. The clothes had holes in them. Dirt rubbed into them. Blood and flesh.

 _Shit_.

I grabbed them up and poked my head out of the bathroom with a cloud of hot fog following me. Julian moved a bit as soon as I did so. I hissed at him. "Julian!"

"Uhh..." he rolled onto his back and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"I need your help!"

"Huh?" Julian coughed and then stared blearily at me. "What?"

I held up the clothes. "I don't have anything to wear. How do I fix this?"

"Good as new."

"Good as new?" The spell took hold and flowed down my arm into the pile of clothes. It was such a weird, exhilarating feeling that I dropped the clothes with a yelp. The pile not only began to re-weave over the holes, but it fluffed up and de-wrinkled. Dirt puffed up in a cloud away from the pile.

I picked up the pants. They were pressed. Even my underwear were clean.

"Nice." I laid the clothes and Wayfinder out on a part of the bed where Julian wasn't, and held up the shirt to look at it. It was as if nothing had ever happened. No blood. No holes. Not even any stains where Julian had cried. "Let me do yours."

"Whoa," Julian sat up and scooted away. "You can't do that when someone's wearing the clothes."

"Why not?"

"You could turn me into a baby. Or worse, send me back to being a batch of swimmers." Julian ran a hand through his hair, which was messed up beyond help aside from what a shower could do for him. His eyes rested on my waist.

Where the towel I had wrapped around myself was.

"Oh, yeah. Shower's free," I said. I cleared my throat. "I can...uh...change out here while you get ready, then fix your clothes if you toss them out..."

"Yeah, sounds...like a good idea." Julian got out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom, pointedly not looking at me or, anything really. He ducked into the bathroom and began to shut the door.

"Hey, um," I said. He poked his head out. "Are you okay? Like...how are you feeling?"

"Better." He gave a small smile. "Much better."

"Good." I pretended to be interested in the hem of the shirt I held. "I...thanks. For talking to me. I was worried."

"Liam..." Julian stepped forward like he was going to come towards me, but then thought better of it. "I'd kiss you but...my breath is probably rank."

"How do you fix rank breath?"

" _As_ good as new."

I scoffed. "Seriously? _As_ good as new?" I motioned to Julian, and the spell flowed out at him like I had had a wand. It hit him like a breeze. His hair fluffed up, the scruff on his chin flew off, his clothes ruffled and cleaned and fixed themselves. He made a face, then worked his mouth.

"Peppermint," he said, surprised.

I looked at my hand. I did that without a wand. I didn't know why that surprised me, because I'd saved Julian before with no wand. I realized that I almost never used a wand to do anything that I could do. I was so mesmerized by the fact that I'd done that without a wand that I almost didn't notice Julian pulling me in for a kiss.

It _was_ peppermint.

When Julian pulled away, his eyes viewed me as if I were somehow the most beautiful thing in the world. I remembered how he'd called me beautiful up on the tower, before the tower tried to kill us. I tried not to think of his hand on my bare waist...his warm hand with smooth skin and long fingers. His thumb touched my chin, but I could already feel him pulling away. Cutting this off. Respecting a boundary that I wasn't sure I wanted anymore. He was so annoyingly respectful. He paused before letting me go. "You'd make a great boyfriend."

I pulled him closer to me. "Your boyfriend." He started to argue. "Don't. I wouldn't do this if it wasn't you. I wouldn't do this if you weren't worth it."

This had the exact opposite effect on Julian than what I wanted. He looked away...sad? "The novelty wears off after a while, Liam," he said. He tried to get back to the bathroom again. I grabbed his hand.

"I don't give a shit about anything you think I do."

"Everyone does."

"So you don't want me as your boyfriend?"

"Of course I do!" Julian flailed his free arm. "You're perfect!"

I pulled him in for a kiss. He tried to resist, but then he walked back into the sink cabinet in the bathroom, and I followed. I pinned him and kissed him. I was kind of aware that my pretty much naked body, save for a towel, was up against his now clothed, perfect body. I could feel every bit of him against me, from thigh to chest. I could feel when he breathed in. I could feel the slight tremor working its way up through him.

My hands were in his hair and holding his face right where I wanted it. His hands were over mine. I met his eyes with mine. They were hooded, unfocused. "You can't do that to me. You can't push me away after...everything you did to pull me in. Not now. Not after everything."

"Liam..."

"I want...you. All the fucked-up parts and all the crying and the curse and whatever. If I wanted...to go...I would have already." I shook my head. "If I gave a shit about your magic I would have left. The only thing I care about is that...you look at me like I'm the only one who matters to you."

"You are," he said. "I'd do anything for you..."

We kissed. I didn't know how appropriate it would be to make out with your boyfriend in a professor's guest bedroom - probably a bad idea - but I didn't want to stop. We weren't standing on top of a crumbling tower this time. We weren't in public, or in a car, or arguing, or running for our lives this time. Who knew when we could do this again? The odds weren't in our favor, if history told me anything.

I pulled away so that I could run my hands down the column of his neck. I let my fingers feel the warmth of his skin over his collarbones and down to his chest. I didn't miss how he breathed in and held it in when I began to unbutton his shirt. I pushed my hands flat to the planes of his chest, and ran my thumb up the center of his breastbone. "Can I...touch you?"

"God, yes," he said. "Whatever you want."

His hands bumped into mine as we both reached to unbutton the rest of his shirt. He untucked it from his pants and pushed it aside to let me return my hands to him. I bit my lip and let my fingers trail down his torso. I'd never touched another guy before. I told myself it wasn't that different than a girl, but, it was. It was different inside me. I don't know how to describe it. Just that...I felt like I was touching someone for the first time ever. Nothing I'd done before mattered.

He was warm, and alive, and moved under my hand. It was like...when you can't believe someone is right there, and that they're there for you, and you realize that you're the same to them? I wanted to grasp him and grab at him, but then, was afraid. Unsure. I placed my hands against his waist and felt the mix of muscle and bone and breath under my touch.

My fingers trailed down and rested against the buckle of his belt. I could feel him watching me as I pulled the leather through the keeper until it was loose, then pulled the belt free from the tang. I knew I was going tortuously slow. But I would never get a chance to do this for the first time again.

And I wouldn't have the chance now, either.

As soon as I pulled the belt loose, I felt something...coming up from my throat. Like vomit. But not vomit. I gagged and slammed my hands to my mouth. Julian, I'm sure, was as confused as I was. He looked...probably a bit offended.

"Are you going to be sick?"

I shook my head. I had the weird compulsion to say something, but I wasn't sure what it was that I was going to say. I backed up until I was out of the bathroom. Julian followed and attempted to help me, but I found myself trying to simultaneously breathe, swallow, and not speak.

I heaved. Doubled over, my hands couldn't keep the words from spilling out.

"Brioni! Brioni, Brioni!"

The space above the dresser rippled, and Julian's sister, Brioni, seemed to drop without dropping onto the top of it, into a perfectly seated position. The various knick knacks on the dresser wobbled and tumbled to the ground.

"Finally," Brioni said, shooting me an annoyed look. I coughed and attempted to catch my breath while Julian helped me straighten up. "Hasn't Julian taught you not to resist a compulsion spell? You could vomit your own digestive tract that way."

Julian pulled me into his embrace. "What the hell do you want, Brioni?"

"Oh, did I catch you at a bad time? Did I interrupt something?" She seemed anything but sorry. "Liam. I'm disappointed. You could do so much better."

I glared her way, even as I tried to stop my coughing fit.

"Anyway," Brioni sighed boredly. She pulled a coin purse from the pocket of her black pantsuit. She opened the kiss-lock and turned it upside down. I expected a spill of coins and lint. Maybe a loose stick of gum. Instead, somehow, there was a tumble of blue luggage, Julian's luggage, from the impossibly tiny opening. "Here's your luggage. Oh, I didn't forget you, Liam." She shook the bag, and then, my things came tumbling out. A cardboard box was the last thing to add itself to the pile.

"Thanks?" Julian eyed Brioni cautiously.

"Don't thank me yet. Father sent me to fetch you."

Julian scoffed. "Good luck with that. I'm not going."

"Like hell you aren't."

"We have a pact, Brioni. We're leaving. Fuck the school, fuck Father, and fuck you too if you think I'm going with you."

Brioni rolled her eyes, and landed her gaze on me. She smirked. "Are you...naked under there?"

I blushed and clasped the towel, making sure it was still there. I went over and grabbed one of my bags, then backed into the bathroom. "Excuse me."

I closed the door but not all the way, so I could hear. I decided on a pair of joggers, a tank, a hoodie, and some sneakers, all while keeping an ear on the conversation.

"I'm not going, Brioni."

"Unfortunately, you don't really have a choice. I'd be all for your continued rebellion, I really would, but unfortunately Father isn't the only one who wants you home. It seems that you pissed off the school's dean, and the Americans are considering pressing charges against you."

"For what?"

"For destroying a school. Americans are pretty touchy when their schools and buildings get destroyed."

"I didn't destroy the school. It destroyed itself. All I did was throw a rave."

"A rave that ended up with one dead student and a destroyed school. They're calling it magical terrorism."

I nearly tumbled out of the bathroom as I was trying to get my shoes on. "That wasn't his fault! The curse destroyed the school!" I steadied myself against the wall and slipped on my sneaker. "It was trying to kill Julian, and almost did!"

"He looks fine to me. Unlike the vampire that died." Brioni sighed. "Look, I don't want to argue with you. Father is trying to get the charges dropped, but its a bit hard when you're here and he is angry with you."

"So you want me to flee a country that is considering bringing terrorism charges against me?"

"Unless you'd rather stay?"

Julian ran his hands down his face in exasperation, complete with a groan. "Fuck!"

A knock came at the door, but before anyone could tell the person to come in or stay out, the door opened. Mia and Carter spilled into the room. Mia held up a camera.

"I knew it!" Carter said, pointing to Brioni, who raised a brow at the intruders. "I told you there was a teleportation! Electromagnetic cues in the room always heighten right before! That's why we could hear your grandma in the wine of the television!"

"Do either of you know this foil-hatter?" Brioni said, motioning to Carter.

"Ah! It's _Brioni_ Shadowcut!" Mia said, continuing to record. "Is it true you were just accepted into a curse committee that will be crafting curses _internationally_?"

Brioni preened. "Well, I'd hate to toot my own horn but..."

"Like hell," Julian went over to Mia and grabbed up her phone. He shut it off despite her protests, and tossed it on the bed. He pointed to them, then to the door. "You two, out." He turned to his sister. "You, fuck off." He turned to me, but couldn't think of anything. He grabbed my hand and began to pull me past the others. "Let's go."

I could hear Brioni hop off the dresser, and then follow us with the others. We found Sozzagoz in the kitchen, cooking up the last of an egg and sausage breakfast. It looked as if part of it had already been eaten, with two plates sitting at the bistro table.

"How long have you been here?" I asked to Mia.

"Like, two hours?"

"I hope you all like eggs," Sozzagoz said. "No one has stated that they were vegan or vegetarian, so I figured they would be alright." He held up a huge egg.

"Is that an ostrich egg?" I gaped.

"Of course," Sozzagoz said. "I eat two a day."

"Thanks, professor, but I think Liam and I are going to get going," Julian said, moving to the door. I pulled him back.

"Julian...we need our stuff. And we don't have a car."

"I'll buy you new stuff, and a new car."

"No you won't," Brioni said. "Dad has cancelled all your cards."

"Then _you'll_ buy him all new stuff, and a car. You owe him a car anyway for blowing his up!"

"I did not blow up his car!"

I was aware that Mia had brought out her phone again and was recording. I tried to get a word in between Julian and his sister, but it was hopeless. They were worse than Mom and Dad when Mom was on a tangent. Well, worse than Mom. Dad just stood there silently during arguments.

"I know it was you, Brioni. No one else is that powerful."

"I am flattered that you think I could do that, but for the last time, it wasn't me."

Julian opened the door. Sozzagoz started getting to-go containers out of a cabinet. Mia was trying her best not to giggle. I was pulling at Julian. Carter was pulling on Mia's sweater sleeve. Brioni was eyeing Carter.

I growled. Actually growled. "That's enough!"

Several things happened at once.

The door slammed shut. The to-go containers and Mia's phone went flying. Our luggage came tumbling out of the spare bedroom, and Mia, Carter, and Brioni were forced to separate and sit down...on the floor.

"Julian," I said, forcing myself to seem calm. "If Brioni's right, you can't go anywhere in the United States. And could you two _please_ stop arguing for like...a minute." I turned to the professor. "I'm sorry for throwing your tupperware."

Sozzagoz didn't even seem fazed. "Interesting. You are able to cast magic without a wand or other magic attuning element, or even without a spell. Not only is your intent enough, but you are able to accurately affix the intent of your spell on the objects or persons of desire through thought alone."

"Yeah," Carter said, pulling himself to his feet. He helped Mia next. "Fascinating. That shouldn't even happen. Anyone who does magic needs an instrument to aid in the flow of magic from intent to casted spell."

"Don't be putting any of this on your magical conspiracy forums," Brioni said, getting to her own feet. She brushed off her black slacks and then checked her hair. "Or Youtube or whatever."

"Too late," Mia murmured. She went off looking for her phone.

"From what I understand, you are not a magician," Sozzagoz continued, motioning to me. He motioned to Julian. "And your magic is gone? Has your magic been transferred into Liam?"

"Yes," Julian said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

"So you were capable of this feat before?"

"At...times."

"Very interesting. Now I can see how the curse was interested in you, Julian. You are very powerful indeed. I have met very few people who could do the same, as this ability is very rare. In fact, I have met only one other individual."

We all waited. Brioni motioned for the professor to hurry.

"Oh, yes, of course. It was Marissa."

"I won't pretend to know or care about who that is," Brioni said. "Now that that is over, we really do need to get going. Its nearly two in the afternoon back home, and father is going to get home at five."

"Then you have three hours to figure out an excuse as to why I am not there," Julian said.

"You know, it might behoove you to go," Sozzagoz said. He had picked up his to-go containers and was packing breakfast for all of us. "The Shadowcut library is even more extensive than the school's library. Probably more extensive than all the libraries of all the magical schools in California. There may be information there that was not available here, you know, as to your predicament."

"It isn't a predicament anymore. The school is destroyed. We can't go back even if we wanted."

"I am referring to the fact that your magic is now his magic." Sozzagoz motioned to me. "But also, now that you mention it, surely it is of interest to you that the curse selected you, a magician who could operate on intent, and had selected similar magicians before."

"Sounds like it is more interesting to _you_."

Sozzagoz wasn't offended. "You are right. It is of interest to me." He turned to Brioni. "Miss Shadowcut, would you be able to bring me with you? I haven't been so close to home in a long time, and seeing as I may be unemployed at the moment, now's as good a time as any to visit anyway."

"Fine."

"We're going too," Carter said, motioning to himself and Mia.

"Nobody is going anywhere save for Brioni going home," Julian said.

"Excuse us," I said. I grabbed up Julian's hand and pulled him out the front door. I shut it behind us.

"Good, now let's go," Julian tried pulling my hand towards the stairs. I didn't budge, and my hand flopped down to my side. "Liam. Let's _go_."

"We can't go, Julian. There's nowhere we can go. We have no money, no car, and...I don't know if your sister is telling the truth or not..."

"Usually not."

"But if there's an investigation into you, you won't be able to go far anyway. Someone is going to catch up with you. They're probably tracking your cell now."

"Alright then, Carter, teleport us out of here."

"No, Julian. We have to go with your sister. Its the only way any of us can be safe." I shrugged and dug my hands into my pockets. "Besides, just because the school is destroyed doesn't mean this thing with the school is over."

"Like hell it isn't."

"There's still the dean. The staff. The curse...all the dead kids. We have so many unanswered questions. Like, why did the school even destroy itself? How did it do it? And does that even mean the curse is over?"

"It is not our problem anymore, Liam," Julian came over to me and grabbed my shoulders. It wasn't harsh, but I could sense his desperation. "Let the people who caused this problem fix it. People are dying, Liam! Amanda died! I don't want anyone else to die! None of us should die because of this."

"I know, I'm not arguing that."

"Then why do you want to go?"

"I don't want to go. I just want this to be solved. And you need your magic back. And...I just want one moment with you where we aren't...fucking interrupted!" I tried to give a laugh. "Don't you want that?"

Julian looked about, exasperated. He let his hands drop. "More than anything, Liam, but..."

"We can't do any of that if you get arrested."

"I'd rather be arrested than go back home. You don't know what its like, Liam. What _he's_ like. What they're all like. I'm not just being an asshole to my sister for _fun_."

"I know. But I'll go with you. We all will. You'll be safer, we'll be away from the school, and we can figure things out without worrying about arrest or being killed or whatever. Your dad cares about appearances, right?"

"Right. Which is why you coming with me doesn't really help. I mean, it does. It does, Liam. I'd rather you be there. But he doesn't give a shit. He's just going to see another boy that his son is getting involved with. A non-magical boy, who can't help his son pass down the Shadowcut legacy. He isn't going to be nice to you."

I thought. "He did that with your ex? Owen?"

"Yeah."

"Then..." I looked back to the door, then to Julian. "Have Mia pretend to be your girlfriend."

"What?" Julian laughed as if I had suggested that he get married to Mia. "No. Absolutely not."

"Why? It could work. Her parents are rich. Kinda. She's in a good school. And she's a girl. Plus, she's fascinated with all this crap, and can pretend pretty good."

"I've never dated a girl, Liam. And I don't want to pretend to be all about Mia when I just really want to be with you." Julian stepped close to me, and I feared he was going to restart what had stopped in the bathroom. I stopped him with a hand to his chest. "Please don't make me fake date your ex."

"Just until we figure things out, get you out of trouble with your dad, and get the heat off your back."

Julian looked like he was about to stomp his foot and whine, but he didn't. He sighed, then paced, then flailed his arms. "Do you think it would work? You don't know my dad. He's...a dick, but he's smart."

"It's all we got."

"Fine. But there's rules. No kissing me on the lips. And no like...grabbing my thighs or ass or anything."

"Fine." I pulled Julian in for a small kiss...a small kiss which neither of us really wanted to remain small. "Let's go. I'll be there the whole time."

Julian nodded, but still looked unsure.

We went back inside. Brioni was off in a corner of the living room, talking on her phone. Mia and Carter were standing by the pile of luggage, going through the contents of the cardboard box. Sozzagoz came out from the hallway with a weekend bag in hand, and a hat and coat on. The hat had holes for his horns in the brim.

"We'll go," I said. I held Julian's hand in my own.

"Great," Brioni said, hanging up her call. "Everyone?"

"I hope that is not too much trouble," Sozzagoz said. "I could take a plane, but I am always put into cargo and it is not a comfortable experience."

"This isn't going to be much better," Brioni said. She took out her coin purse and opened it. "Practically perfect in every way!"

The jewel on her chest glowed, and the room was swallowed up in magenta mist. I had the distinct feeling of being pulled towards something, or maybe, being pushed, like when it was really windy outside and you could barely walk. Darkness enveloped everything, but not before I felt the compulsion to talk again.

"Brioni, Brioni, Brioni!"


	26. Fake Girlfriends

We'd barely been dumped out of Brioni's time and space storage, onto the polished wood floors of the library, before we'd had to scramble out of the way to avoid the cascade of luggage and now open cardboard box that followed. Brioni looked at us with some amusement, and pocketed her little purse. "I'll leave you all to make yourselves at home."

She made her way out of the library, her heels clicking as she went. She really did give no fucks at all. I glared at her back, but was brought back to more important company by a touch on my shoulder. Liam. "You alright?"

"Peachy," I muttered. I sighed as Liam helped me to my feet. "Forgive me. I hate being here. I'm not angry with you."

"I get it."

The others similarly reorganized themselves. Sozzagoz set his tupperware on the library table where, a year ago, Father had tried to hammer into my head that I was going to Temecula Valley. He set his bag beside the tupperware, then his hat, and set his jacket on a chair back. "Excuse me," he said. He then disappeared into the rows of bookshelves.

"Um," I rubbed my face and then motioned to Mia and Carter. "You want to let her know the plan?"

"Oh, right." Liam did that thing where he ran his hand through his hair. "Hey, Mia. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Mia came over to us cheerfully. "What's up?"

"We need you to pose as Julian's boyfriend," Liam said, motioning to me. "His dad is kind of..."

"A homophobic asshole," I said. Liam shot me a look. I shrugged. "Its true."

"And we want to get his dad off his back as soon as possible."

"I get it. Yeah, I can do it." Mia shrugged.

"But there's rules."

"Rules?"

"No kissing on the mouth. And no pinching or grabbing or anything."

Mia scoffed. "Did I ever do that to you?"

"No, but..."

"Don't worry. No offense, Julian, but you aren't my type."

"I'm not?" I pretended not to seem offended. "Why not?"

"You're tall, pale, and, oh yeah, extremely gay."

"Fair enough."

"Plus, its not like we don't know what you and Liam were doing in the spare bedroom back at Soz's."

Liam's face turned red. "We...didn't..."

"You should be jealous," I said, interrupting him. I grabbed his hand and began pulling him out of the library, but not before pointing at both Mia and Carter. "Don't touch anything."

"Can I record?"

"Do whatever you want. Just don't touch anything that looks ancient or expensive."

"That's everything in here," Carter said.

"Then don't touch anything at all!" I nearly yanked Liam along, out of the library and into the foyer beyond, and then to the stairs that led to the bedrooms. "I need a shower. A real one, not a spelled one."

Liam met my stride, as I had calmed as soon as we had begun climbing the stairs. "They're just trying to help."

"I feel like a mother herding her litter of children."

Liam cracked a grin.

"What?"

"You're the only one I know of who is stressed about having friends."

"They're not my friends."

"Julian, everyone is here because they're your friend."

"Does that mean you too? Have you changed your mind?"

Liam raised his brows.

"Right. Don't push you away." I led him to a set of double doors and opened one for him. "Welcome to my childhood abode."

Liam entered my room and stopped just short of the door to look at it all. I shuffled past him to get to my closet and begin pulling clothes. I wanted to wear something comfortable, but if I was going to be meeting Father later, I needed to wear something smart. I heard Liam walking around the room. "Make yourself at home."

"Your room is bigger than my house's downstairs."

"What?"

Liam came to the closet door and looked about in awe. "Yeah, definitely bigger than my house's downstairs."

"It's...not that big." I looked around. My closet _was_ the size of another room.

"Julian...you have a couch in your closet."

I looked to the chaise, and its matching ottoman. "Well, yeah. I get changed in here."

"And you have your own bathroom." Liam motioned off to the side, to where my bathroom was situated. It not only had a door to the closet, but had a door to the room too.

"And you don't?"

"No. I used to have to share it with my sister." Liam went to the bathroom door and peeked in. "You have a spa!"

"A spa?

"Yeah! With jets and everything! In your bathroom!"

"You mean my tub?"

"Yeah!" Liam ducked back into the closet. "When you said your parents were loaded, I didn't really...put two and two together..." He came over as I was thumbing through my shirts. "I mean...you have pirate swords."

I laughed. "They're fencing foils."

"You can sword fight?"

"Sort of. I haven't done it in a while. I'm probably shit at it right now." I caught his eye. He was looking at me in wide eyed awe. "What? Every right kid has to do some fancy sport when they're little. It's like a requirement. At least I didn't get into polo."

Liam went to the shirts and looked through them. He found a white one with leopard spots printed all over it. He raised a brow.

"Saint Laurent," I said. "Good choice." I picked a pair of slightly cropped trousers, and a matching jacket, and set them over the chaise. I found some pointed toe chelseas and set them on the ottoman.

"Everything in here is like...designer?"

"Pretty much. Is there anything you want?"

"Nah," Liam smiled over at me as he went through the shirts. "They're not really my style."

I waved a finger at him, then went over to my coats. I found a colorblocked Burberry coat and held it out for him. "This may fit you better, actually. I'm not really a Burberry fan. But it might look good on you. And..." I went to another section of the closet.

Liam laughed. "Julian. Go take a shower. You can give me a make-over later."

"Really? You'd let me?"

"No! Go take a shower!" Liam laughed.

I grinned, but did as I was told. Even though "as good as new" was great to freshen up with, it never really seemed to make you feel as clean as a real shower did. I washed up as quickly as possible, though, and changed into my suit. I rolled up the sleeves and looked at myself in one of the mirrors of my actually really huge closet. Now that Liam had pointed it out, it was rather obscene.

Liam was laying down on my bed, his crossed feet towards the head of the bed, his head to the foot. He was staring up at the canopy, watching as scenes changed above him. It cast him in shapeshifting light. His hands were in the pockets of his hoodie.

He turned to look at me.

He was the most beautiful thing in the room, George Harrison's guitar be damned.

I quietly went to the doors and locked them, then calmly took off my jacket and draped it over the chair of my desk. I'd only just gotten dressed, but I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it off. By the time I'd gotten over to Liam, he'd sat up and taken off his hoodie, and received me with an open mouthed kiss.

His hands did much better with my belt this time.

I sank to my knees before him and met his eyes. He ran his hand through my hair, a touch that never failed to excite me. My hands were on his thighs, grasping at the knit of his joggers. Did he know just how much of me he held in his hands? I could easily hand over my body and my heart to him. This...this was not hard. This physical thing. I could do it any day. I could do it with him. I could torture myself better than any curse could, more than any lover could, by handing myself to him like this, knowing just how easily he could crush my heart.

And knowing it would not stop me.

I kissed his chest, above the neckline of his tank. I pulled up the fabric and kissed where his breastbone ended. I kissed down his belly, softly, slowly, down to where hair grew up towards his belly button. Down to the waistband of his pants.

I entangled my fingers in the drawstrings.

"Please?" I asked. It came out like a beg.

"Yes," he said, and it sounded the same.


	27. Sacrifice

It took me, holding myself up above Julian, watching him arch under me in pleasure, to realize that I was in love with him.

His legs were around my waist. His hands were grasping at my back. The weird magic canopy was projecting strange yet soft colors onto us, but all I could focus on was Julian's beautiful face. The way he looked when nothing was bothering him. How soft and completely blissful he was. How happiness looked on him. How it sounded coming from him.

I wanted to tell him, and thought about it while we were both trying to catch our breaths. I don't know why I didn't. Maybe it was because I had never really told anyone that before. I mean, I'd maybe say it if Mia said it. A peck, a "Love ya!" or...maybe only she said it. Or maybe because I was kind of shocked in realizing it. I mean, its not every day that you realize you love another guy...at least, if you were me.

By the time I thought that this would be the perfect time to say it, and that it would be a good idea, Julian had come back to himself enough to smirk and then pull me in for a kiss. I groaned with each movement he made, and he soon let me go to roll over and stare up at the canopy. There was an arctic scene above. The glaciers were calving. I rolled over once more so I didn't have to look at it, and buried my arms and face into an extremely comfortable pillow.

I caught a glimpse of Julian looking at me. I smiled despite myself.

"That good?"

I laughed when he went in for a kiss. I used the pillow to block him.. "Let me sleep! I'm tired!"

"You mean to tell me," Julian said, grabbing at the pillow. "That you get up before the sun is even up to go running _every day_ , and have enough energy to stay up almost _all night_ most nights, but a little sex and you're done for?" He managed to dislodge the pillow from under my head. I couldn't help it. I laughed when he gave me a light whack with it.

I pulled the covers up over my head. "No! I'm tender!"

I was rewarded with the pillow being thrown at me, and I heard Julian get up from the bed and fiddle in his bedside stand. "Tender," he scoffed. I poked my head out from the covers to see him pulling back on his boxer briefs. Black. Of course. "Alright then, _tenderness_ , you stay here. I've got to get ready. Again."

"You...don't want me to stay here, do you?" I pulled the blankets off me and scooted to the side of the bed.

"It would probably be a good idea," Julian said, ducking into his giant, apartment sized closet. I got up and pulled on my joggers, then followed. I saw him going through his clothes again.

"What was wrong with the other suit?"

"A fake girlfriend isn't going to do much in convincing my dad that I am suddenly straight if I look like I'd just walked off a runway." He sighed and pulled out a dark grey suit, then found a black tie. He picked a lighter grey shirt to go with it all, and some plain black dress shoes. "Its probably the most boring thing I own."

I sat down on the chaise. "I don't know if I'd want you to face your dad without me."

"I've done it before." Julian pulled on his pants, then the shirt. I watched as he dressed. Even if the suit was boring to him, watching Julian move was anything but. Even without his magic, he was still graceful. He made the drabness of the suit seem beautiful.

He turned to me after he'd tied his tie. "How do I look?"

I frowned. Something wasn't right. I got up and dragged him to the bathroom, where I wet his hair - carefully, and slicked it with gel. I parted it and brushed it back. I couldn't find any hair ties in his bathroom drawers, so I did my best to keep the ends from curling up. I looked over my work, then looked at the cuff piercings in his ears.

I carefully began to remove them, and he remained absolutely still as I did so.

I set the hardware on the counter. Julian looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. "Now?"

"You look like a banker. Or an assassin."

"Father does love bankers," Julian murmured. He turned to me. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Do you want me to go?"

"I think it would be hard to pass as a straight man if my boyfriend..."

"Do you _want_ me to go?"

"Of course," Julian said. He took my hands and drew me close. "Of course I want you there. It would make me so happy if you were, and I'd honestly feel a bit more...stronger? But I kind of want to...protect you from him."

"I'm touched," I said, raising a brow at him. I pushed past him into the closet, and tried my hand at picking out things that I would think that Julian would think would look good on me. "But maybe you can't protect me. Maybe it just needs to happen, Julian. Besides...what makes you think I can't handle it?" I held up a pair of beige pants and a geometrically printed pale shirt. "I did fight off a curse for you."

Julian frowned at me, then took the pieces out of my hands and hung them back up. He found a light blue suit and handed it to me, alongside a nearly white shirt. He found some tan loafers and put them in my other hand. "You look good in blue. And linen."

"I don't even know what that is." I looked down at the suit, then spelled them with "Fits like a glove," before getting changed. Partway through, Julian came over and began helping, and for a moment I was really confused. I didn't need help getting dressed. But he knew how to tuck in the shirt, how to fold the little handkerchief thing in the jacket, and even to what button to leave the shirt unbuttoned. He gave me a pair of patterned socks too.

"These?" I asked, holding up the socks.

"Yes. Why?"

"I thought we were trying to look like not-the-gay-couple."

"These are not gay socks."

"Do you have socks that maybe say less I-just-fucked-my-boyfriend and more my-stocks-crashed-and-I'm-sad?"

Julian snagged the socks from my hands and came back with much more plain ones. "Just...put on the socks."

I smirked at him but did as I was told. I put on the loafers, too, then went to restyle my own hair. Julian snuck a leather watch into my view on the bathroom counter as I was doing so. I tried not to laugh. "So much for no makeovers."

"If this had been a makeover, you would be wearing the gay sex socks." Julian viewed himself over in the mirror. "I feel like an absolute prat."

I didn't really know what a prat was, but I did agree that he did not look like himself at all. He looked like he was about to discuss my options for retirement with me. Almost gone was the sarcastic mess of a man I'd come to love. The softness had been dressed out of him, and now all his angles and height was painfully accentuated. He was still beautiful, but in a sharp, harsh way.

"Let's go find our...friends," Julian said. "I can't believe I left them in the library alone."

"The professor was with them. What could go wrong?"

....

We entered the library to find ourselves in the middle of what looked like a seance. Sozzagoz sat at the huge round table at the center of the huge, bookshelf filled room - whose edges I could barely see so I really didn't know how big it really was - reading a book as others floated above him in a series of orbits. Carter was seated not far away with a pile of his own books, but was ignoring them so that he could investigate a huge white crystal with some sort of fossil inside it. Mia was sitting amongst what looked to be camera equipment, and was narrating the scene.

She spied us and came over with a proper looking film camera. "Liam! Julian! You both are looking sharp!"

Carter looked up at us. His broken glasses threatened to fall down his nose, and his hands looked like they were about to lose their grip on the huge crystal. "You took a shower? Where are the showers? I still have asbestos all over me!"

"You do _not_ have asbestos all over you," Sozzagoz said absently. A book floated down to him, and he swapped out the book he had been reading for it.

"Even if it does not cause mesothelioma, I am sure there is some sort of carcinogen on my person."

Julian went over and grabbed up the crystal. "I thought I told you all not to touch anything!"

"But its the evolutionary cousin between modern reptiles and dragons!" Carter sprung to his feet and tried to grab the crystal back. "It wasn't dinosaurids at all! Its not even reptilian! Which means that they evolved in a parallel pattern, and after the dinosaurids died out, the dragonids _were_ magically enhanced, and further evolved with the aid of a separate dimension!"

Julian held the crystal away. "I learned that in year seven! Put these books away!"

I chuckled as Julian stalked past me to put the crystal back in a display case. There were magical artifacts everywhere, and I couldn't pretend to know what any of them were. I turned to the professor. "Find anything interesting?"

"Yes," the professor said, pulling his glasses off his craggy face up at me...although he didn't really look up at me because even while sitting he was taller than I was. "There seems to be a lot of literature - recent literature, mind you, from the past century or so - regarding the phenomenon that currently afflicts you, Julian."

Julian straightened his jacket and came back over to us. He eyed Mia as she hovered about us, filming as she went. "What now?"

"The ability to conduct magic without a spell or wand," Sozzagoz motioned to the book he was reading. "Although, these books are rather recent in publication. The oldest one is barely fifteen years old. It seems that someone in your family was very concerned about this specific ability, and educated themselves about it throughout the past fifteen years."

I nudged Julian with my elbow. "Maybe you were doing crazy magic as a toddler."

"If I had, I would have used it to stop Brioni and her curses."

"Maybe you did, and that's why someone started reading up on it. Your mom or dad."

"Oh, yeah," Carter snagged one of the books from its midair orbit, and flipped to a page. He held it up for Julian, who physically recoiled from him. "What?"

"You stink!"

"I told you, I haven't showered!"

I sighed and motioned to Carter. "As good as new!"

The spell took effect, cleaning Carter's clothes and going so far as to fix the crack in his glasses. Julian gave Carter an exploratory sniff, while Carter did his best not to appear perturbed by being inspected. "Yeah. So. Anyway. Being able to effect magic without spells or even a magical conductor is rare, but not unheard of." Carter put the book down on the table and pointed to the pages. There were drawings of different people throughout the ages, each dressed in different period costumes. "And probably not as rare as everyone likes to think. Any evidence of course exists as legend even in the greater magical community, and it isn't even mentioned in basic magical educations."

"No, it isn't," Julian said, tapping at his chin in thought.

"But if other Chosen Ones were the same as you," Carter continued, motioning to Julian. "And I mean just the Chosen Ones of Temecula Valley, it means they aren't rare at all. They aren't even uncommon. They're killed off and covered up."

"Why would anyone do that though?" Mia asked, poking her camera over Carter's shoulder to record the book.

"What do people do when someone is powerful? They don't embrace them. They try to get rid of them," Carter pointed at Julian. "Think about it. Everyone who has ever posed a threat to someone in power. Herod and Jesus. Killed all the infants. Sophie Scholl. Killed. Leon Trotsky. Killed. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, William Wallace, Joan of Arc, Gandhi..."

"We get it. A bunch of people have died because the Normals can't keep their own peace," Julian said. "Unlike all of those other people, though, I am nobody's martyr. All I stand for is literally being left alone to live my life in peace." Julian paused. "Alive."

"I think that the greater magical community doesn't want to risk anyone becoming like those people, thus they're willing to sacrifice their magical mutant children to an unbreakable curse."

"Why though? We have no central government or anything. We agree to the rule of whatever government of the country we currently reside. If I commit a crime, I answer to the Queen," Julian motioned to himself. "That's why we fled the States. If there are charges, I'll probably get extradited."

"Fear of the unknown is often the greatest motivator in instances such as these," Sozzagoz said. "The peace between the magicians and the Normals was not easy to achieve, and was created through much compromise. The integrated societies we enjoy today did not always exist. Perhaps it is both the fear of an element that could upset that balance, and also fear of an element that could reduce the mysticism and awe of magicians worldwide - which does gain them some celebrity - is enough."

"You're saying that I am some sort of magical sacrifice willingly given to keep the peace between rich magicians and the Normals who worship them?" Julian scoffed. He laughed. He grew sober. "It...makes sense."

"Someone was afraid that you'd grow into your power," Sozzagoz continued. "If, that is, this theory is true."

"It must be true," Carter said. "It fits. Which also means that, if there is only one such anomalous individual born every year, there are at least twelve other people in the world currently existing with this exact magical mutation."

"Please stop calling me a mutant."

"I thought you said, though, that power is cycled within families," Mia said. "Like, the more kids a person has, the less magical they are. And when they die, the magic gets passed down to the grandkids and stuff."

"True," Carter thought. "Even though there are only two Shadowcut siblings, it seems that Brioni's power is quite normal - by Shadowcut standards, you do come from a powerful family - while yours is substantially more powerful."

"So the power has to come from somewhere else." Mia thought. "Oh! What if, instead of being cycled through a family, this power is cycled through the twelve people, well, thirteen because Julian is still alive..."

"Thanks."

"And whenever the Chosen One gets killed, the power has to go somewhere, and it ends up in some newborn somewhere?"

"I thought the power disappears," Julian said. "It gets taken and doesn't cycle back to the families."

"That would be the _family_ portion of your magic," Carter said. "Whatever you inherited, not whatever this unique power is." He turned to the professor. "Is there any legend regarding the existence of a group of individuals who held unique power throughout history?"

"Aside from what we've read already, no. If any record exists, it must be hidden, or stricken from knowledge. It must also be ancient, much more ancient than gargoyle kind."

"Doesn't your sister know something about ancient stuff?" I asked.

Julian rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking Brioni."

"Miss Shadowcut has learnings of ancient knowledge?" Sozzagoz questioned.

"She thinks she does," Julian said.

"She told us about some sort of ancient magic creature that was some sort of magic amoeba crab thing. It was raw intent, or something," I said.

"Those...those gargoylekind have knowledge of," Sozzagoz said, waving a taloned finger. "It is rumored that upon their deaths, magical vortices and other mystical spots along the planet have come to existence. It was through their deaths that magic became available for the manipulation at the hands of magicians and magical creatures."

"How would gargoyles know that and not people?"

"People - humans - are not strong in the ways of generational and genetic knowledge. Most, if not all of your young are born with very little knowledge regarding the history of your species and collective knowledge, let alone their past lives or life missions. Its amazing anything gets done at all in your societies, to be frank."

I shrugged. "Seems legit."

"I mean no offense."

"No, its fine. Humans are the best at screwing ourselves over."

"Other creatures have better abilities in this area. While any gargoyle can exist for two, three hundred years easily, they are still born with the ability to remember perhaps a thousand years of generational knowledge. Elves are perhaps the next most adept, with fairies being able to remember their entire species knowledge, if needed. They've also mastered being able to exist without their history weighing them down." Sozzagoz cleared his throat. "The point is, humans would have forgotten any history that coincided with such magical beings. That is how legends and myths were born in human folklore."

"I think humans would remember if they met some sort of giant amoeba," Mia said.

"Really? Do you remember the origins of some of your favorite legends? The origins of Santa Claus, for example? Humans have existed with several evolutionary by-products that have thwarted your ability to not only retain generational knowledge through death and rebirth, but also, keep you from believing various truths. The unknown is a threat. It always has been. It is better to not believe than to believe, because then reality is broken down, and humans struggle with such crisis of reality."

Mia made a face. She had no argument, but wasn't about to concede.

"But as I said, these are theories and as of now we have no actual proof," Sozzagoz said. He shut the book he had been reading. "And it seems that your sister is coming now to retrieve you, Mr. Shadowcut."

"Shit," Julian looked at his watch, then to me. I shrugged. He turned to Mia, who was going to be his acting girlfriend. "Her hair!"

"What about my hair?

"Oh, yes." Sozzagoz pulled out his wand and motioned it to Mia. "As you were!"

Mia's hair turned back to its natural black. She pouted.

"So, Mia and I will go in like we are together," Julian said. Mia went and looped her arm through his. He gave her a joyless smile. "What's the story for Liam and Carter?"

"Actually," Carter said. "I'd like to stay here in the library, with the professor. There's a lot we still don't know..."

"I am not leaving you in here with all of this," Julian said, motioning about us."

"It is alright," Sozzagoz said. "I will put a protective spell over the library to ensure that nothing gets broken."

"And I am your roommate," I said. "Who got sucked into the UK by Brioni, who couldn't...do her spell right?"

"What didn't I do right?" Brioni said as she entered the library with a dramatic push of the double doors with a spell.

"Sounds good to me," Julian said. He turned to Brioni. "Sister! I take it Father is back?"

"Yes, he and mother and the dean of your illustrious school," Brioni gave a smile that said she'd just won some sort of contest we didn't know we were participating in. "As well as the United States Magical Ambassador."

The fingers of Julian's free hand spread. I clasped his hand briefly, just for solidarity, then stepped forward to follow Brioni out of the library.

"Come on," I said to the others. "We can do this."


	28. Lost Boy

The doors opened, and immediately we were surrounded by men and women in dark suits and sunglasses.

The chaos that followed made the crazy that my 'friends' made in the library seem like a pleasant get-together. The suited men and women descended upon us, and everyone protested in completely uncooperative yet predictable ways. Mia at first clung to me, but when most of the men and women descended upon _me,_ grabbing my arms and attempting to put them behind my back, she began pushing back at them and even landed a punch before they dragged her off of me.

Brioni was grabbed as well, which pissed _her_ off, and she began casting curses while simultaneously shouting for them to get their grubby American mitts off her Dolce, please, and thank you.

Mother and Father, who were standing off to the side, didn't help things at all. Father started shouting, asking the group of suits to calm down, asking for me to calm down even though I was actually very calm despite what was happening. Mother just stood there and kept asking for Brioni to please, for the love of God, to stop shrieking, she sounded like an unseemly banshee.

And Liam...?

In the chaos, I realized that suddenly, Liam was not there. At least, he wasn't when we were being hustled away. I started to struggle against the people who were restraining my hands with odd looking handcuffs, which caused them to hold me and push me along harder. I called out for Liam as some of the suits broke off to raid the library. Father was stuck between both groups, flubbering his words and lips about like an idiot, and Mother had turned her attentions to him, whisper shouting for him to please, Ainsley, shut up or you'll have an apoplexy.

Apparently, things hadn't gone as they had planned, whatever their plan was. What did they expect, inviting the American government into our home? Sometimes I wonder how much of their brains were actually dedicated to thinking things through. Its like they absolutely could not see past their own petty concerns to understand what consequences were.

The irony and hubris of my own behavior were not lost on me.

We were escorted to the greater dining hall, as I liked to call it. We had our family dining room, which was ridiculous in itself, but then there was the _bigger_ dining hall, complete with a giant long table and what seemed like a hundred chairs. It was for when esteemed guests or extended family came over, but we never had esteemed guests and our extended family was scarce and similarly self involved, so they never came over either. The head chair, I think, used to be some long lost king's throne. Or a replica of one. It was framed with stained glass windows that depicted various parts of the Shadowcut family timeline, most of which were actually fiction or myth.

Seated at the chair was a woman dressed in a very svelte black suit-dress, complete with a jacket with sleeves that were more of a cape than sleeves. It was obvious that she was a witch, even if her witch's hat was on the table, and not on her stylishly grey bobbed head. Her eyes were brilliant green, and she was giving me complete Miranda Priestly vibes with her chin resting just on her gloved finger.

There was an American flag pin on her lapel.

"Good," she said. She stood and made her way over to us. She was really tall, taller than me, even in heels. The suits arranged us in a line, then forced us to our knees.

"Is this absolutely necessary?" Father said, hurrying over. The other group of suits came up with Carter, who looked absolutely freaked out to be in the hands of any government official, of which he was flanked by two. The rest were on Sozzagoz, who could easily break out of his bonds and flee, but was probably the calmest amongst us.

But there was no Liam.

The woman looked over us as Carter was forced to his knees with a yelp. Sozzagoz just stood there. "You're missing one."

"The library is clear, ma'am," one of the suits said.

The woman didn't even order them to search. She just held up her hand and flicked her fingers, which sent a group of suits running.

I never wanted to be more like anyone ever in my life.

"Amelia," Father started.

"Agent Ward," Agent Ward corrected. "I don't know exactly what you were expecting, Mr. and Mrs. Shadowcut, but the United States does not take magical mayhem lightly. While I seriously doubt your son," she looked to me. "Is capable of actual terrorism, the truth of the matter is that an American institution was destroyed. All evidence points to your son, and his accomplices, being the perpetrators of this crime. Now, we thank you for your cooperation, and all parties may be extradited to face charges."

I wanted to reply that I could definitely be capable of magical terrorism if I so chose, but I could just imagine Liam freaking out over that. I bit my lip. I was still more worried about him than myself. How he got lost in the fray, I didn't know.

"Is this not all of them?" Mother asked.

"I am _not_ an accomplice," Brioni stated. "I wasn't even there! Mother! Tell them I wasn't even there!"

"But you were," Agent Ward summoned a yellow ball of light, which expanded to a sort of holographic display. In it was a schematic of the school, which was actually better than the cheap maps the school had handed out, and dashed lines traced magical spells. A magenta one popped in and out, showing the time that Brioni had visited our dorms. "Your magic is a bit hard to track as you do force others to summon you with their magic, however, you did summon a display at that time that left your magical signature."

"Astute spell tracking," Sozzagoz said, impressed. Agent Ward raised a brow at him.

"We are still missing your other American accomplice, and then there is, unfortunately, the deceased, and the two accomplices who we are tracking throughout the dimensions."

I frowned. "Who? Oleander?" I looked to Mia. "Who else is there?"

She elbowed me. "Shut up, Julian! The first rule of dealing with the cops is don't talk to the cops!"

"We understand that there is a spell caster who has afflicted you with a complicated spell. We do know that you are without your magic at the moment, and this spell caster has been hard to trace. Do not worry, when we find them, they will also be arrested."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," I motioned to Brioni with my chin and elbows. "Brioni is the one who cursed me."

"For the fucking last time, Julian..." Brioni scowled.

"Be quiet," Agent Ward said. "All of you. Please escort Mr. and Mrs. Shadowcut out of the room. Thank you, but your assistance is no longer needed." A couple of agents grabbed up Mother and Father, and began to lead them out of the room.

"Unhand me! You have no jurisdiction! My lawyer has not yet arrived!"

Mother only gave an undignified squawk. I made a mental note to ask Mia later if she had recorded it somehow. Maybe I'd make it my ringtone for Mother for when she called.

"I assure you," Agent Ward said as another agent came up with a tablet. "Our jurisdiction is unquestioned." She ignored them as their protests continued until the door shut behind them, drowning them out. As soon as he was gone, she waved away the agent with the tablet and looked at us all with a cheery smile. "Right. Now that that is over..."

The agents came and began unbinding us. "What?" I frowned. "What the hell is going on?"

"If America was concerned about magical terrorism, you'd probably be dead right now, _if_ you were even capable of terrorism," Agent Ward said as an agent came and undid my binds. I rubbed my wrists and stood. "The truth is, Mr. Shadowcut, we come from a branch of the government who is more concerned with the magical goings-on in the schools situated in the United States. This includes Temecula Valley, whose curse activities and string of deaths have been cause for great concern for some time now." She motioned for us to all sit around the table. "Come now, sit."

We hesitantly came to the table and pulled out chairs, all except for Sozzagoz, who stood behind the chairs. I went to sit, then stood again. "Wait, what about Liam?"

"We have been unable to locate Liam Hernandez, ma'am," the agent with the tablet said.

"I thought you said the location was locked down," Agent Ward said.

"It is, however, right before he disappeared, there was a blip of magic that we are having trouble tracing."

"Its probably the dean," Brioni said. She was still ticked off by being arrested and was rubbing her wrists in an exaggerated manner. "I thought he was supposed to be here."

"The dean?" Agent Ward straightened. She turned to the agents. "Go. Now." All but two of the agents rushed out in a chorus of practical soled shoes thudding against the marble floors. Ward turned to the agent without the tablet. "Start the portal process. If the dean is here, then we haven't much time. We must leave now."

"Wait, leave? No. We are not leaving until Liam gets back," I pointed at the table, as if I were some sort of businessman trying to make a point about exponential growth or something. "And where are we going?"

I was ignored, however, as the other agent had started creating a portal on the other side of the room. It was a spinning mass of energy that was growing with the second. I thought the agents were going to force us to walk through it, but even as I was continuing my protest of not going, the portal came zooming at us like a bubble wand. It swallowed us up, chairs, table, and all.


	29. Playing Paper Dolls

The door opened to the others to reveal the hallway beyond, but when I walked through it, I was not in the hallway at all.

I _think_ I was still at Julian's house. I hadn't seen a lot of the house since I got there, but I knew it was huge, I just didn't know _how_ huge. The same beige-red marble that ran through the place was wherever here was, but I was not in the library, and I couldn't see the others anywhere. When I looked behind me, the library doors weren't there. What was there was a wide open wall, the ceiling supported by pillars, and I was looking out to a huge lawn. With a pool, or fountain. The sun was shining outside but...something was wrong.

Curtains that hung between the pillars didn't move. They were frozen in place like there was some sort of breeze that had pushed them there, but they were glued in place. The fountain - it _was_ a fountain - was spraying water that was frozen in midair. There was even a bird stuck in the sky.

"Julian?" I asked. "I...think I might have frozen your house in time?" I looked about. The room I was in had some couches surrounding a decorative center firepit. The flames at the center were frozen in time too. "Julian? Mia? Anybody?"

"They are not here."

A man was standing between some frozen curtains and a pillar, and all that had been in my field of vision before he had spoken, but he had not _been there_ until he had spoken. Like I could not perceive him. I shuffled back, startled.

He looked like he just stepped out of an old-timey western, but not like a cowboy would look like. Just an old dude from the 1800s. Or maybe Freud. He definitely gave off Freud vibes, only he had a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, a full mustache and beard, and had no cigar. He was also taller and much more filled out than Freud ever looked. He wore a very dark brown suit with one of those vest things and even a pocket watch.

He looked down at me, even from across the room, over those glasses that had no arms. Gold wire rimmed. He moved, and he was a moving sepia wash. Browns, taupes, beige, yellows...it was hard to tell if he didn't have a filter applied to him. I blinked a few times to try to straighten it out.

"You are having trouble perceiving me," the man said. "It is as if you are seeing me through a lens, however, your brain is only creating an image of me that you can readily understand. It is of the old brown man, is it not?"

"Uh, yeah. Who...who are you?"

"I am The Dean."

"Is...that your name or should I just...call you The Dean?" I wasn't trying to be sarcastic. I was actually genuinely frightened. I didn't know why, but my body was just reacting with anxiety.

"You can call me, 'sir.'"

"Alright...sir. How, uh...can I help you?"

"I am having trouble finding the current Chosen One," The Dean said. "I had thought that I had found him, but, instead, I have found you."

I didn't exactly want to give away anything, so I shrugged. "Julian is, well, he was in the library."

"That is not what I am referring to," the man came closer to me. He almost seemed like a paper cut-out moving through a 3D world. A projected film on glass. "I am referring to the Chosen One."

"But Julian _is_ the Chosen One," I said.

The man sighed and looked away. He walked around, and I just followed him by turning about. It wasn't like I was a caged animal being circled by a predator, but it felt like that. I had no idea where I was, and I had no idea how to unstick time and get back to where I had been. I thought about intending magic to happen, but it didn't happen. I felt nothing at all.

"There is something wrong with this Chosen One," The Dean said, as if talking to someone who wasn't me. "The school has reacted wrongly to the magic. It has expended itself beyond its means. It has...attacked those who should not be attacked." The Dean turned to me. "And you know why?"

"I...don't really think so." I shrugged. I tried to laugh. "I'm just a Normal. I'm in your magical exchange program?"

"You are lying."

Reality blipped for a moment.

The Dean was standing right before me.

He grabbed me by my shirt and jacket, and lifted me right up into the air. The guy wasn't frail by any means, but I didn't think he was strong enough to do _this_. He must've been seventy or eighty years old!

I gasped, and clasped at his hands, but it was like I was gripping cold stone. The man looked at me with eyes that changed from sepia to piercing blue. I felt something pulling at me, like from the inside out. It felt like something was searching me, but along every vein and nerve. It crawled and prickled, sending pins and needles shooting up and down my body. I flailed my legs, then tensed, as my nerves _seized_. "What...what are you doing?"

"There is something wrong with you," The Dean said. "There is something very wrong with you. Tell me what it is!"

"Nothing!" I cried out in pain. I felt my body distorting on itself. Each limb twisted and pulled, and my spine was attempting to bend backward. "Stop! Stop, please!"

"Tell me what you are!"

"I'm a Normal! I'm just a Normal!" I cried. I was burning. My skin felt like it was blistering, but it wasn't. "I swear!" I wanted to tell him the truth, just to make it stop, but I couldn't. If I did, who knew what would happen to me? Or to Julian? "Please! I'm a Normal! I was born to Normal parents! I had a Normal girlfriend and I like Normal things!"

The Dean turned and, without a word or growl or anything you'd expect from a villain, just threw me. He made it seem like he was tossing a baseball, but I flew through the air, hit the ground, and slid into one of those pillars. I cried out, but I didn't have time to really savor the pain I felt, if that was a thing, because the Dean was coming up on me again in that weird here-then-there way, and slammed his fist into the ground where I had been laying.

The marble _cracked up_ and hovered in the air.

I half backed away, half ran, out into the outside. The Dean followed, like missing frames from a film. The fact that no sound came from it made it creepier. I felt like I was in a movie and I just wanted to not be in this movie. Every time I thought I could stop moving and get my bearings, he was on me, ready to grab me up. I felt like an idiot, being chased around the huge fountain, but as soon as I had almost made a lap, I turned, and he was there.

He backhanded me, and I flew into the fountain.

The water didn't seem to touch him as he grabbed me up out of the water and hoisted me again. I sputtered and braced myself, but this time he didn't use that weird attack that had me twisting and convulsing. I kicked at him, but each moment my foot would connect, he seemed to blip out of reality, and back into it again.

I couldn't hurt him.

He threw me again, back towards the house - which was huge from the outside, by the way, it looked like a Tudor castle - and I landed on paved walkway. I felt something crack inside, and realized I may have broken a rib. Or worse. I tried to get to my feet and cried out. A rib, definitely.

The Dean grabbed me by the back of my shirt and jacket, and dragged me back into the house. I saw that he was dragging me towards the fire pit, and even if the fire was frozen in time, I had no doubt it would still burn. He held me in place, half kneeling in front of it, and forced my hand over the flame.

It _did_ burn.

I yelled and fought, but I might as well had been fighting a wall. "Tell me what you are," he said.

"I'm telling the truth!" I screamed it. My hand was burning, for real this time. Blisters were forming in my skin, and I could smell the flesh of my hand being cooked. My arm shook, but I couldn't move. My other hand scrabbled for something, anything to help me, and landed on a metal poker strapped to the side of the fire pit.

I grabbed it and tried to hit him with it, but the angle was all wrong. The force of my awkward swing slammed the poker tip into the ground. The Dean grunted and eased up, just a bit, on his grip of me. I was confused, for a split second, then did what I had done again, only harder.

The Dean jerked away from me. I tumbled to the side and cradled my burned hand to my chest. I felt a wild burst within me, but it wasn't magic. I could only imagine what I looked like then, backing away from The Dean, cradling my mangled hand, eyes wide and lips flat and spittle seething, aiming a fireplace poker his way. Wet. Dripping. Probably bleeding.

The Dean was strangely still for a moment, eyeing me from ten, twenty paces away. I don't know how far. But when he stood still, I could see that he was _injured._

It was like a puncture in tissue paper, and brown liquid popped out of it. Just...splurt. Like a squirt gun. It was strange, and I remembered what he said. _I_ was perceiving _him_. His existence was determined by how my brain was putting him together.

I decided not to look into why he was appearing in such a fucked up manner to me. It wasn't worth it.

Instead, I wielded the poker in a one armed baseball stance. I hated baseball, and had only done one season of it in high school. It was boring. The only good part of the game was the hitting and the running part, and most of the time you were just standing around in the heat, waiting for the hitting and the running parts. But I remembered how to hold a bat. The poker was unwieldy in my right hand, and I knew that the tip would fling about when I swung, but that's what I had.

"Come on, motherfucker," I spat. "You want to kill me? Come over here and kill me!"

The Dean took a step.

I slammed the poker down into the floor. The Dean didn't step back as much as he blipped backwards. The tear in his form was torn more, but he didn't _seem_ wounded. Not like how my hand was a constant source of excruciating pain, like how it throbbed and tried to rob me of attention. I forced my eyes to stay on The Dean, but he didn't move.

"What, are you afraid now that I've figured you out?" I began walking at him. He blipped away from me, keeping a distinct distance away from me as he did. Was this the distance that he could get hurt? I didn't know. I didn't know the rules. I didn't know what he was made of, I didn't know how he came to be, I didn't know how he operated. But I was at least smart enough to connect the dots that hurting the scenery somehow hurt him.

I continued my advance at him as he backed out into the lawn, to the point that I began running and yelling at him. He was fast, but not fast enough. Just as he had gotten far from me, I slammed the poker into one of the marble pillars.

Distance made no difference. He was struck, visibly, as if I had actually struck him. He doubled over.

Then he advanced on me. I tried stabbing him through with the poker, but he easily batted it away. It clanged somewhere on the floor, and I could hear it skidding away. He attempted to grab me up like he did before, but I began clawing at him with my hands, even the burnt one. I didn't care about the pain at that point, or maybe I did. It just wasn't registering.

I just had one thought, and I didn't know where it came from.

 _Tear him apart_.

I clawed at the wounds in his form that were on his head. Touching him was like touching silicone paper. It was squishy yet somehow still paper-like. I dug my fingers into the tears and began shredding it like tough wrapping paper on Christmas, even as I felt that weird attack start to happen again inside me.

I put all strength I had into tearing him apart. Enough pieces fell away at some point where I could see inside him. It was like he was made of a blind spot inside, where vision goes in and out, but for what I could not see, I could feel. It was like Julian's magic, but a thousandfold. It was intense, arresting, and trapped.

With a yell and a punch, I thrust my injured arm down into the hole I'd created.

The paper creature that was The Dean fucking _flipped_. He screeched and clawed at me, but made no real damage. The attack he was trying to hold me with grew erratic. But there was a new pain as I sank into that weird energy. While Julian's magic somehow got accepted into me with no repercussion on my body, this energy wanted nothing to do with me. It was not my magic. It was not meant for me.

It was someone else's.

Many someones.

I clawed around in what seemed to be an endless cavern. There were no sides, no top, no bottom. For all I knew, I had no arm. But I reached, looking for anything I could grab that could hurt The Dean.

My hand closed around something.

As soon as it did, the energy inside The Dean erupted. It wasn't so much a physical eruption, but more like someone had hit me on the head and I was seeing stars. I couldn't see everything. Hearing was going in and out. I'd hit the floor somehow, and my body was feeling pain and bliss at the same time.

Something was wrong.

I couldn't feel or see or think. Everything was a jumble, like a spasm inside my brain. I couldn't make sense of anything that was coming in. I _knew_ , somewhere, that I was still in danger, and this paper doll freak was still out there, but it wasn't conscious. It was spots. Fragments of cognition. Telephone key tones, but in a slice of vision or hearing or touch.

I was absolutely fucked, and even if I didn't know much of anything at that point, I knew that.


	30. Breaking Rules

Everything and everyone dropped, sending everyone not prepared for a portal shift floundering to keep their footing. The only thing good about our predicament was that I got to see Brioni fall flat on her ass.

My feet crunched down on moss covered stone, and my hands met vine covered walls as I tried to keep myself from following suit. I hated portal travel, but it sure beat the hell out of traveling in a personal space void, and _then_ portal traveling. I looked over the aftermath of the shift, and noted that Ward had brought the table and chairs with us.

Mother and Father will be thrilled.

Ward and her agents looked completely unflustered, and went back to jabbering on about their mission and this or that. Carter and Brioni set themselves to rights, while Sozzagoz helped Mia to her feet. I looked about, but I didn't see Liam anywhere.

"Where's Liam?" I asked.

"Where are we?" Mia asked.

"What the hell? Why did you portail us to the bloody elf dimension?" Brioni asked.

"Elf dimension!" Carter exclaimed.

"Where the hell is Liam?" I hollered it. This caused Ward and her agents to finally look at me, as if just realizing we were in their presence, like they hadn't just dumped us all in another dimension.

"Why is your hair doing that?" Mia asked.

"Doing what?" I bit back at her. She just motioned at me. I touched my head, and noticed my hair was...full again. I pulled a strand before my eyes and let go. It shone with a blue sheen, and waved as if I were in low gravity.

"You got your magic back?" Brioni said. She came over and tried to mess with my hair. I ducked away and scowled at her.

"I thought that Mr. Hernandez was in possession of your magic," Sozzagoz said. "After a spell was cast on you both to transfer your magic to him."

"It is. I mean, it was," I was puzzled. "How...how could I have my magic back?" My friends, as Liam called them, either shrugged or were enamored by my hair or whatever. I turned to Ward, who was eying me with an inscrutable look. I pointed down at the table as if I were in some sort of board meeting trying to convince everyone that growth was imminent, or something, if we acted _now_. I was no longer concerned with where Liam was, although it was still important. "What happened to Liam?"

"We are trying to discern..."

"Don't give me that load of horse shit," I said. Ward's eyes went wide, and I don't think it was because of my colorful choice of words. I felt the energy of my magic, which seemed so potent after so long without it, consume my being. It sort of hurt, as if someone had pumped air into my veins, or what I'd imagine that'd feel like. I had the faint sense of blue surrounding me. My magic was always blue. _Like the ocean_ , Mother used to say. _Beautiful, yet deadly at the same time. Wildly underestimated by all_. It was probably the only compliment she'd ever given me. "Tell me what you know."

Ward frowned, but then decided to inform us. "The Dean, as you call it, has somehow unrooted himself from the school and has traced your power to where you were. The disappearance of your friend and the appearance of the Dean means that that the Dean has targeted your friend."

"Targeted?" I scoffed. "Why the fuck are we triapsing through the damn elf dimension if Liam is being _targeted?_ "

"Because the Dean is earthbound," Ward said. "Or so we believe. It can't get any of you - or us - here."

"Great," Mia said. "But Liam is still over there."

"And if Julian has his magic back," Carter said. "Then what does that mean for Liam? Was he able to perform some sort of reversal, or...?"

He left the question unsaid, but we all had it in our minds. Did the Dean kill him? Hurt him?:

"Take me back," I said.

"I'm afraid we can't do that...at least not right now."

"Take me back!"

"Mr. Shadowcut..."

"I am not about to let Liam get killed because of some American policy and procedure shit!"

"Julian, Agent Ward is just trying to tell you that the portal cannot be reopened just yet," Sozzagoz said. He placed a large hand on my shoulder. "Besides, time passes differently in the elf dimension. That is how the elves can be, to earthdwellers, so long-lived."

"We have no intention on letting Mr. Hernandez suffer at the hands of the Dean," Ward said. "However, we cannot re-enter the earth dimension without some sort of course of action in place. Professor, if you would, we could use your expertise in spell tracing. Interdimensional tracing can be tricky, but the more minds we have on the matter, the better."

"I'd be happy to," Sozzagoz said. He gave me a pat on the shoulder, which was almost like a smack, and headed over to the agents. I found my arm pulled in the opposite direction by Brioni. I tried to shrug her off, but she just grabbed me again.

"Come on, brother," she said. "Care for a smoke?"

"A smoke?" I tried to pull away again, but Brioni had me in a vice grip. She led me to a vine wall that parted to reveal some sort of balcony. We looked out upon the elven world. I'd seen it before a few times, on holiday with the family when I was younger, but it was always amazing to see. A glittering scene of lush foliage, flora and fauna. The purest of blue skies with pink and yellow pastel clouds. Two moons visible during the day. Pixies and dragonlings flitting about. A waterfall and rainbow. It was a fucking paradise.

Brioni held out a lit cigarette.

"We're not supposed to smoke here," I muttered.

"Just take the damn cigarette."

I took it and took a drag. Then another. A longer one. It did little to calm me. My magic stoked me in waves. Like flame. The hottest of flames.

"So," Brioni said. She motioned to the cigarette. I handed it back to her and took my time letting the smoke go. She took a drag then held it back out to me. "You like this bloke, then?"

"Yeah," I said. I stared off at the splendor. I saw it but didn't see it.

"Like...how you liked Owen?"

"Why are you asking me, Brioni?"

"Because I've never seen you get so worked up over a guy before. I mean, you went blue over Owen, to save his life, sure. But you were never in danger then." She scoffed and gave a mirthless smirk. "I mean, you were about ready to charge back in there like a bloody knight in shining armor."

"So?" This conversation made me uncomfortable. I didn't want to talk about these things with Brioni. I didn't want to talk at all. I wanted to go back and get Liam. As wonderful as it was to have my magic back - and it was, my body felt _complete_ \- I knew that this spelled trouble for Liam. Somehow, I just knew.

"Fuck, Julian. Is he special to you? Like, you would die for him special?"

"I'm not asking _you_ to die for him, if that's what you're getting at."

"Jesus, Julian. Can't you just talk to me? I swear, I don't have a fucking alterior motive."

"Thanks for the fag, sis, but I think that I've got my fill of bullshit for the day." I held the cigarette out to her to take.

She looked at me with an expression I'd never seen before. She didn't take the cigarette. "Julian, I know I've fucked up. Things are fucked. Mother and Father...whatever it is, it's a lot to unpack. I can't do it now. But I will. Right now we do need to plan, and we do need to move forward. And despite what you think, I don't want the school or the Dean or whatever to kill you. I'm a heartless bitch, but I'm not that heartless."

"You said it, not me," I turned back to the scenery, but my snipe didn't come out as heartfelt as I wanted it to. I smoked the cigarette down to the filter and put it out. "Yeah. He's special. The kind of special where when you meet them, you know you're fucked, because if they don't feel the same way, you have to keep feeling that way, and it gets worse every time you see them. The kind of special that...makes you want to be better. But then, they make you feel like...like..."

"Like you don't have to be better?"

I looked down at the stubbed out filter between my fingers. "You can't plan for someone unexpected, Brioni."

Brioni was silent for a bit. I heard her light up another cigarette. She offered it to me, but I waved it away. We stood there for a moment, just...letting the words simmer a bit. Then she asked me a question I didn't think she'd ever care to ask me. Not in a million years. "Do you love him?"

The question didn't shock me, not even the fact that it came from her. I'd asked myself the same thing a few times already. When I met him. Every time I saw him. When we kissed. When I took him down into my bed. Was love something I could let myself feel? Was it safe? And if it was, was what I felt for Liam...love? I could stand there and mull it over all day. I think I was going to.

"Don't answer," Brioni said, sighing. "That dumb sad look on your face says it all. Christ, Julian. Now I can't let you _or_ the Normal die. Just...don't go around with that lovesick look, or else people may think you have feelings or something." She blew out the smoke of her cigarette, stubbed it out, then shot me a look. It softened a bit, and then she turned and left me alone on the balcony...but not before muttering under her breath. "Idiot."

I rested my elbows on the balcony rail - which was a bunch of bramble and wood - and rested my head in my hands. What was I doing? What could I do? How come I hadn't already done it? How come Liam was not already here, safe?

"Agent Ward is working on it."

I raised my head a bit. Oleander parted the vine curtain to step out onto the balcony. They were draped in elvish attire that was somehow flowing yet skintight at the same time. And glittery. "Hey, Oleander."

Oleander smiled when they saw me, but that quickly turned into a frown as they sniffed the air. "You are not supposed to smoke in this dimension, Julian. You could damage our ecosystem. Our magic!"

"I'm sorry, Oleander. I warned Brioni but..." I sighed. There was no reason to pass on blame. Oleander could see right through me but...somehow I felt the need to fess up. I'd smoked that cigarette as much as she did. "I'm sorry. I can clean it up for you if you'd like."

Oleander gave a small sigh. "Don't worry. Magic has already been deployed. Despite having clear rules, wherever we have earthbound visitors, a rule tends to be broken here or there."

"Even so...it was disrespectful. I appreciate your giving us a place to hide for a bit."

Oleander's soft smile returned to their face. "Of course. If any other elf tells you it was because of a treaty," they leaned forward as if spilling a secret. "They lied. My parents have pull with the council."

I smiled. "Sneaky sneaky. And you dared chastise me for having a smoke."

"I suppose you are rubbing off on me." They rested their back against the balcony rail and looked me over. I raised a brow. I was about to ask them what the look was for, but it was Oleander, and if anything they were a reader. "I do have good news. I hope it will ease your mind."

"You found Liam?" It came out a little more desperate than I wanted.

"No. But I know he is alive."

"How...how do you know?" I tried my best to not look disappointed.

"Something has happened so that his being has been magnified. For a brief moment, when the portal was opened between the earth and elf dimensions, he was able to project what was happening. Your magic was not returned to you because he is injured or dying. It was _pushed_ out."

"Pushed out."

"And...replaced by something. His mind was in flux. He is alive."

"That was then. How do you know he is alive _now_?"

"Time passes so slowly here. A moment to a day. A blink of an eye to a minute. But also...he was able to project that the Dean is damaged."

I straightened some more. "Damaged? Damaged how?"

"I'm afraid I don't know more. But Liam is alive. You must'nt give up hope." Oleander gave a soft smile. "You are also projecting erratically. The dimension is twitting all over about it. A story for the ages, they say. Better than your earthbound bard."

I felt my cheeks flush. "They should mind their own business."

Oleander laughed. "Its a bit hard. You make it so easy. Humans make it so easy. Besides...between you and I, the dimension gets a bit boring after so long. That's why elves were so eager to sign the dimensional treaty. They secretly love the drama of other dimensions. Its exciting."

"Good to know my personal struggles are great Saturday night entertainment." I rested back against the balcony and sighed.

"It won't always be like this, Julian."

"Don't give me that. You're a reader, not a seer."

"True. I don't mean to sound like I am passing false hope. I suppose I am trying to say that I believe that you can find an end to this. And if Liam is Liam, which he is, he's more resourceful than any of us know. He won't let anyone get the best of him. Not without a fight."

"I just hate sitting here with my thumb up my ass like there isn't shit to do." I gave a glance over my shoulder to the vine covered doorway. I could see, through the leaves, as Ward and Sozzagoz mulled over some magical display or other. "I feel so fucking helpless. I have my magic, and I'm still sitting here waiting for the adults to let me sit at the big table."

"Last I checked, its _your_ table, Julian. It is literally _your_ table. From your house."

Oleander motioned back inside. I looked at them, then the vine covered doorway. I set my brow and pushed my way through it. Carter and Mia were sitting off to the side, fiddling with Mia's phone. Brioni was sitting at the table, pretending like she wasn't listening in on Ward and the agents. Ward didn't even look up. Sozzagoz did, however.

"Julian?" He asked.

"Have you two come up with a plan yet? Or are you ready to listen to mine?"

"Hardly," Ward said. She waved her hand through a display. It looked like a floorplan. The floorplan to the bottom level of _my_ house. She motioned to what looked like the back portico. "There. That is the biggest concentration of energy. The read is intangible though."

"It has signs of being an illusionary spell, however, it doesn't work like one."

"Fine," I said. I brought up my magic, and I felt the blue flame consume my shoulder, then saw it flicker off to my elbow, my wrist, then my hand. "I guess I'll do it myself." I flung my hand towards the nearest floral wall and the beginnings of a portal began to appear.

This sent Ward and the agents into a panic. The agents ran towards me, perhaps to take me down or whatever it was Americans did in a panic, but they were slammed back before they could lay a hand on me. They each tried a spell that was meant to paralyze me - and my magic - but it bounced off me. It was strange. I'd never felt this powerful before. It was my magic and yet...a new part of it was open to me.

"Stop!" Ward said. She'd snuck up on me, and tried to place herself between the wall and I. She couldn't get close enough.

"Tell me one reason why I should listen to you," I said, glaring at her. "I'm tired of wasting time."

"The Dean will target you if you go back."

"I'm the best chance you have against him and you know it."

"You are powerful, yes. But the Dean is after that power. Don't you think that he'd know how to get to it? You'll just be giving him what he wants."

"And if it saves Liam?"

Ward cocked her head a bit. "Do you really want to throw your life away for a _Normal_?"

I scowled at her. "For Liam? It would be an honor."

"Julian..."

"If you want to stop the Dean from killing me, that's your job. I'm going back for Liam."

I heard a chair screech back, and then Brioni was by my side. "I'll grab Liam. Ward, you and Julian stop the Dean. If the Dean targets you, Julian, Ward, you pull him back."

"The Dean is earthbound. He can't follow us," I said. "Can you follow British orders, Ward, or are you going to be a colonist about it?"

Ward closed her eyes briefly in her only sign of irritation. "Fine. We'll do it your way."

I parted my magic enough to let Brioni and Ward place their hands on my arm. The portal deepened and widened, with blue magic licking up the walls and tearing a space between this dimension and earth's. Unlike the portal Ward had used, we had to move into it, and so we marched forward until our shoes echoed against polished marble.

We stood in front of the doors leading to the portico.

The air was eerily still, but I could feel a hotness simmering from just beyond the doors. I flung them open, and we were enveloped into a timeless state.

The portico hung suspended in time, but while I could sense a huge mass of magic energy, I could see no one. Ward and Brioni followed me cautiously. "Where are they?" Brioni hissed.

"The illusion is..." I frowned. I could detect the paths of magic that surrounded us, but most of it was unfamiliar. Maybe we should have brought the professor with us. Maybe I should have studied more. I let my instinct take over, since it was the only thing serving me right now. I blinked, and my vision fell on a spot on the floor, near the curtained partition between the portico and the garden. Liam. Liam was there, but I couldn't see him.

"It's an illusion," I said. "But it is driven by Liam's perception."

"Great," Brioni said. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Liam!" I shouted. Brioni tried to shush me, but I didn't stop. "You have to let us in, Liam! Grant us access! Liam!"

We were sucked into his perception immediately. It happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, we were the only ones there, and the next, Liam was laying on the ground, writhing or convulsing or something. His left hand was charred to blistering. His right hand was clutched around something, and drenched in a dark viscous fluid.

A fire poker lay to the side.

And at the mouth of the portico stood what looked to be a sorrier version of President Garfield with a gaping, light sucking void in his head.

"What the ever living fuck is that?" Brioni asked.

"Its the Dean," Ward said. Was she...afraid? Her tone only gave a small hint that she was, if she was. "Quickly, before he..."

Before he attacked? Between the moment she had started speaking, and before she finished her thought, the Dean or whatever it was turned his one eye at me. "You," was all he said. "Julian Shadowcut. The name. _The name."_

Something gripped me across my throat. It was invisible. Like Darth Vader and the force. But in a blink of an eye, the Dean had me by the throat with his paperbag hands and had dragged my away from the others.

"Julian!" Brioni yelled it.

I felt magic pull at me from another direction, and yellow waves shot a divide between the Dean and I. Ward. It was enough for me to throw myself into my magic, and for the blue flames to consume me. I had no other thought than to destroy that creepy thing, and my magic complied without a spell. I threw one in there for good measure. "Begone, dark spot!"

Magic loves Shakespear.

The Dean reeled at the volley of magic I threw at him. For a moment anyway. He then found himself and turned that void of a wound towards me, and my magic turned directions like some sort of heat seeking missile. The void sucked the magic in, and soon I was no longer firing shots at him, but was having my magic _torn_ from me. I did my best to resist, and I felt Ward trying to wedge her magic between the Dean and I, but the pull became stronger, then stronger.

I grunted. I was also being pulled bodily forward. Did the magic not mean anything without my body? I was dragged to one knee, and then I was scrabbling backwards against the polished floor, attempting to put space between the Dean and I.

"I have him!" Brioni said. I was able to turn my head a moment. Liam was in Brioni's hold. He opened his eyes a bit, and his burned hand tried to reach forward.

"Julian?"

I turned and screamed and pushed a final volley at the Dean. He stumbled back at the force of it before sucking it down, but it was enough to separate his hold on me for a brief second. It was enough. Yellow magic took hold of me and I was wrenched backwards. The last I saw before I was dropped back onto plush moss covered ground was the Dean flickering forward, his hand reaching for me.


	31. Crunch

The moment I had hit the ground, I thought I had heard Julian calling my name.

He was there.

I think he was.

He stepped through a magic looking circle thing, as glorious and as beautiful as ever. His hair was flowy again. He was still wearing that horrible suit.

He was calling my name.

I wanted to beg him to come get me. To come save me. Ugh, I was so weak. Everything felt so heavy and hot. A beehive in my chest. In my hand.

Julian turned into blue fire. A man made of flame, his features burned into himself with the brightest of blue. The brightest of white hot light, like a collapsing star, burned through reality at his fingertips, and blue shot forward, over my head, and into the darkness of everything.

The darkness that took me up and held me in its arms.

The darkness that began to eat at Julian's magic.

I could feel it crunch in my chest.


	32. Let It Go

I scrambled over to Liam as soon as the portal had closed. I felt a bit dizzy after the whole ordeal, and had a raging headache, but I forced myself to at least crawl over as fast as I could.

Brioni held Liam as she sat on the ground. He was still writhing about, his body giving spasms while his arms and legs twitched rigidly. I reached for one of his hands, but the good hand was firmly wrapped around something, and his fingers wouldn’t let it go. 

The others soon surrounded us, but Oleander pushed through them and helped me up. “Quickly,” they said. They motioned off to the side of the room we were in, and a platform raised from the ground, grown from displaced rock and tree roots and flowers. We hefted Liam up onto it as other elves entered the room from another vine door.

“We felt earthbound magic attempting to enter the realm,” one said. They all looked like Oleander, but had different shades of pastel hues for skin. One rested their hand on Oleander’s shoulder, and I could see some resemblance between them. “You know the laws regarding earthbound magic.”

“Wisteria,” Oleander said to the one who had spoken. “The Dean was attempting to steal Julian’s magic, but it cannot enter our dimension.” Oleander looked to me and gave a shrug that was almost comical. “Or else Julian would be dead.”

“This is not the time to develop a sense of humor,” I sniped. I returned my attentions to Liam. His eyes fluttered, and his teeth were grit with pain. “Liam? What’s wrong with him?”

“He is housing a great amount of magical energy,” Sozzagoz said. He hovered his hand over Liam, and I could see paths of green magic being read. “Too much energy. Liam’s Normal physique cannot handle the amount of magic he is currency in possession of.”

“But...I thought Julian’s magic was returned to him?” Mia asked it while trying to peek over my shoulder. I shot her a look, and she backed off. “Sorry.”

“It is not Julian’s magic,” Sozzagoz said. “It is something greater. It is attempting to leave him, but it cannot.”

Wisteria also hovered a hand over Liam. “Your human friend houses the magic of many magicians. It is damaging him from within. The magic will attempt to leave him.” They turned to Ward. “You must return him to the earth dimension. Raw earthbound magic such as this, when let loose, will damage this realm beyond repair.”

“When let loose?” I frowned at the elf. “What do you mean, let loose?”

“The magic is going to kill him,” Ward said. “And if it kills him, it will be released.”

“Then we better find a way to not let it fucking kill him!” 

“What’s in his hand?” Carter asked. His voice came from below, and I looked down to see him peeking through our legs at Liam’s hand as it dangled from the platform. “Looks like a rock.”

I picked up Liam’s clenched hand and attempted to pry his fingers loose. The brown liquid seemed to me seeping from whatever it was he was holding. “I can’t get him to let go. The magic...I can feel it coming from here.” I felt up his forearm with my hand. “Yeah...its coming from this thing. Help me get him to let go!”

“No!” Wisteria and a few other elves pushed through us and I found them tearing Liam’s hand away from me. I struggled against them, but elves could be strong when they wanted to be. “If he lets go, the earthbound energy will be let loose! With no earth to return to, it will create chaos!”

“Then can’t you just open some portals and the magic can go back to earth?” Carter asked. “I mean...not back to the Dean. But like...Australia or something. As far from the Dean as you can get.”

“Its worth a try,” Ward said.

“You can not guarantee it would work,” Wisteria said. “We cannot risk it.”

“He’s  _ dying _ ,” I reminded them. I could feel the energy within Liam grow more frantic. Liam cried out.

“Then take him back to earth,” Wisteria said.

“There’s no time!” I turned to Ward. “Open the damn portals!”

“You cannot!” Wisteria shouted.

Ward and her agents turned and I could see portals opening up in my peripheral vision. I put a hand to Liam’s chest and grabbed his arm with another and shouted a loathsome spell that was sadly one of the more potent ones. “Let it go! Let it go! Don’t hold back anymore!”

Liam gasped, his back arching under my hand, and his eyes flying open wide. His hand unclenched around the rock or whatever it was, and magic flooded from his palm in a burst so strong that everyone crowded around him was send to their asses and skidding along the floor. The magic, in blinding hues of every color imaginable, and some human eyes couldn’t see, filled the room in a hurricane of chaos before finding the various portals and snaking out in a rush of vacuuming wind. 

The wind managed to suck up a chair or two from Mother and Father’s set, and then the portals closed.

For a moment everyone stared at the walls, then at each other in shock. Even I was surprised that it had worked. I gave a small chuckle.

Liam screamed.

I turned back to him. He was no longer writhing, but had rolled onto his side and was clutching his burned hand. He tried to curl in on himself but yelled again. I hurriedly thought of a spell - not Cher - and put my hands to him. “Promise I’ll always be there, promise I’ll be the cure!”

I hardly needed the spell. Blue light flowed from my hands into Liam and created a halo effect about his body. He cringed as the blisters around his hands popped and disintegrated, leaving healthy skin underneath. The discolored pink burns smoothed and bloomed into olive colored skin. I heard something crack and moan, and Liam gave a small cry. His ribs. His ribs had been broken.

Liam fell soft into exhaustion, and for a moment I thought he’d passed out. I grabbed up his once burned hand, and his fingers clasped onto mine. Weak eyes looked to me. I smiled.

I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t. 

“Hey,” I managed. “You’re alive.” I heard the others begin to get up, and then the elves and Ward and her agents were arguing. I didn’t miss Carter sneaking over and grabbing up the rock thing, which now seemed harmless. He and Mia examined it, and were joined by Sozzagoz.

Brioni joined me by my side.

“Do you just sing a Disney song at him?” Brioni asked.

“Shut up.”

Liam tried to push himself up, but couldn’t do it. I helped him, but he grasped onto me for support. There was no way he was going to be able to walk. He could barely keep his eyes open. 

“Just rest, Liam.” I wanted to tell him to sleep. Sleep, you idiot. You almost just died. Again.

“Perhaps this will help.” Oleander separated themself from the other elves, who didn’t seem to need them to argue anyway, and placed their hand to the wall that separated this room from the balcony. Branches sprouted from the ceiling and floor to create a new wall with its own vine doorway. The balcony shrunk into the room, and windows appeared in the wall to let in light. The platform Liam had been on grew more plush, and wider, and sprouted posters like a bed. Floral canopies spilled down about us.

“Cozy,” Brioni said. She turned to me. “Don’t fuck him, yeah? We’re in enough trouble as it is.”

“Fucking leave, Brioni.”

Brioni followed Oleander out of the room, leaving us, finally, alone.

I looked to Liam, who immediately grasped me close and kissed me.

I closed my eyes and kissed him back. He was trembling weakly, his muscles worn out from whatever fight he had fought with the Dean. I let him rest against me. I was afraid that if he stood, he would collapse.

“I can’t keep doing this,” he murmured. “I’m so fucking tired.”

I swallowed and stared out one of the windows. The beautiful landscape did nothing to help me. “I know.” I wanted to apologize. But what was that going to do? It wouldn’t stop what was happening. It wouldn’t stop the curse, or the Dean. And if we didn’t keep going, what were we going to do? Stay here forever? There were no permanent human residents in the elf dimension. The elves wouldn’t allow it, even if we were model humans.

We weren’t. I wasn’t. 

But Liam could stay. For a little while, until this was over. Until the curse killed me or I stopped it. I had my magic back. I could actually  _ do _ something now.

Liam wouldn’t have it, I was sure of it. But if he had no choice, there wasn’t much he could do about it. Right? It would be best to keep it to myself, then.

I gently pulled him away from me. “Just try to rest. We’re not doing anything right now anyway.”

Liam looked at me strangely. His eyes darted over me, almost as if holding me in suspicion. “Your hair is weird again.”

“Oh, yes. It seems that somehow, you got a hold of some of the Dean’s power, and it pushed my magic right out of you and back into me.” I shrugged. 

“Yeah, I mean, I know,” Liam sat back, propping himself up with one shaky arm, and sighed. He rubbed his face. “I saw you. You were all...blue-y.”

“Blue-y.”

“You know, that flame thing you do. But it was bigger this time. And I could see you in it.” He paused. “Like your magic got...more.”

“More.”

“Shut up, Julian. I can barely think.”

I smirked. “Yeah. I get what you mean. It’s...nice to have it back.” I held out my hand and a blue flame appeared from it, and engulfed my hand. Instead of burning me, it was as if my hand was the flame now. Liam was transfixed. “Go on. It doesn’t burn.”

He hesitantly poked a finger at my hand, and when he saw that his hand did not burn, he placed his palm flush against mine. I let the flames go out, and sat beside him. I didn’t let his hand go.

“So, does this mean I’m not a wizard anymore?”

“A wizard? No one calls themselves a wizard, Liam.”

“You know what I mean.”

“It appears not. I’m sorry, Liam. You’re not built to house magic. The Dean...whatever you took from him, it was going to kill you. I think if you had my magic for any indefinite period of time, it would do the same, too.” I met his eyes. “Although, if it makes you feel better, you would have been a great magician.”

“I was.”

“Yes, you were.” I smiled and kissed his cheek. “Come on, go back to sleep before you fall over.”

“Yes, mom.”

He climbed into the bed anyway, and scooted himself as far as he could to one side, making room for me. I kicked off my shoes and followed suit. He rolled to his side, allowing me to be flush against his back. I put my arm about him, and pressed my face into his neck. He smelled of burnt paper and cedarwood. A little bit like hot tar.

“Liam? I’ve...got something I want to tell you.”

Liam was silent. 

“Liam?” I sat up a bit, but he was already sleeping.

Oh.

I guess it could wait until morning.


	33. Lisa Frank

I didn’t know that sunlight could be pink.

I woke up to a face full of it, and turned away from the...windows framed with ivy? Vines? I don’t know. They were open and cutout from flowering foliage, and perfumed air wafted in. I turned away and found myself face to face with a sleeping Julian. I blinked, a bit surprised, although I didn't know why. Maybe because I didn't remember going to bed, let alone going to bed with Julian beside me. He created a spot of warmth beside me that I moved to get closer to. He didn't stir, so I got closer to him. He was sleeping on his stomach, his head turned to me, with one hand up between us. I sighed and let myself look him over. He really was beautiful. I'd never really let myself look at a man to think if they were beautiful or not. Sure, other guys could look good. But Julian was cut from fineness, and I don't just mean his fashion sense. He was perfectly blushed resin, pale porcelain that wasn't too pale and still wonderfully crafted. His fine features were so peaceful, and somehow, so vulnerable. I lifted a hand - the hand that had been almost burnt to a crisp by the Dean - and hovered a finger over his eyebrow, then his dark lashes. Down the bridge of his nose, and over his lips...I brushed them with my thumb and then trailed my fingers down to his jawline. 

He stirred. His eyes parted for a moment to look at me without focus before he buried his face into the leafy pillow we were sharing. He moaned into the pillow, which suddenly erupted into a bunch of blooming flowers.

I doubted they sold this bed set at Macy’s.

However beautiful the scene was, it was interrupted when Julian sneezed. He coughed and pushed himself up on two hands, then sneezed again. I tried not to laugh as whatever pollen he had inhaled sent him into a series of sneezes. He abandoned the bed to try to regain composure, then pointed at the bed. “I forgot I’m allergic to most of this dimension.”

I chuckled. “Dimension?”

Julian pointed out the windows next to the bed while trying to not rub his nose with his jacket sleeve. I sat up and looked out, and tried not to look completely shocked by what I saw. It was like if Lisa Frank had become a national park. Everything was rainbow hued and glittery, with waterfalls and extra moons and...were those fairies? I stuck my head out the window as if that could get me a closer look. I think every flower that ever existed was somewhere in that tableau. If I wasn't gaping before, I did so when I spotted a herd of crystalline unicorns off in the distance. Where the hell were we?

“Is this for real or did the Dean really kill me?” I sat back and looked to Julian in confusion.

“You think heaven looks like pink frosting come to life?” Julian laughed.

I motioned out the window.

“No, you didn’t die. We’re in the elf dimension. Oleander’s home, specifically. I think.” Julian sniffed and carefully sat back down on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, now that I know I’m not hallucinating again.”

“Again?”

“I know what happened yesterday wasn’t real. I mean it was. But it wasn’t.”

“It was a perception spell, created specifically for your cognition. The Dean somehow got access to your brain...I honestly don’t know the specifics. I just know its hard to do. Very hard. And...very hard to break.”

“Then how did you break it?”

“I didn’t. We had to take you out of the earth dimension in order to stop it. And we had to ask you permission to be included in it.” Julian paused. “And even though it wasn’t actually real, it hurt you. Broken ribs, burns…”

I touched my side, but nothing hurt anymore. I held up my hand too. There was no sign that I’d ever been burned. Even so, I rubbed my skin, and looked it over. I distinctly remembered it being red and blistered. I knew that such a wound couldn't just disappear, but in the reality of magic, I guess I needed to get used to being healed from anything I get into. I met Julian’s gaze. Something in them looked...uncomfortable. I cleared my throat. “Well. Then...what do we do now?”

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“You aren’t doing anything.”

“What do you mean?" I raised a brow. "Did you...kill the Dean? Stop him?"

"No. He's still out there. So is the curse, I think."

"Then what?"

“You’re going to stay here until they’re defeated.”

I scoffed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. I met his eyes with a pointed stare. “You mean, until you die.”

“Liam…”

“No, Julian. I’m not going to let you face this alone.”

“You said last night that you couldn’t do this anymore. I agree.”

“Julian, I was tired. I feel better. I promise.”

“You have no magic, and you are finally safe. The school is destroyed, so you never have to go back. The Dean cannot cross into the elf dimension, and can't get to you. You don't have my magic, so he won't want you anyway. No matter what happens, you will be safe from it all. You don’t need to go back to all that...craziness. You can return to earth when its all over.”

I blinked. 

“Its better this way.”

“Yeah. So much better.” I scrambled off the bed and swatted Julian’s hand away when he tried to reach for me. My legs were a little wobbly, and I felt a little lightheaded, but I was good enough to stand. "So I take it that _you_ are going back."

"That was the plan, yes."

I scoffed again. "Really? You really think that this is the solution that’s best for me? You, running off back to earth and getting yourself killed?”

“I’d rather not get killed, but that’s one possible outcome of all this. Its not like you didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I knew, and the whole point of everything we’ve done so far was to keep you from getting killed!”

“No, the whole point was to keep _you_ from getting killed! Now you’re safe! You’re free, Liam! You don’t have to get...bogged down in my mess. Just wait here and then when its done, you can go home.” Julian tried to maintain a harsh expression, but it melted away with his gaze. “You can go home and be a Normal.”

It was a touching gesture. Or it should have been. It really should have been. Julian cared enough about me to think about protecting me. Its more than I have ever had from anyone else. I doubted that, if my parents were in the same situation, they would think it through enough to protect me like he is trying to do. Mia would probably protect me. But something about this got to me, and made me feel the opposite of touched. It wasn't that he was trying to control my movements, which was _very_ mom and dad-like. It was that...he was separating us. Not just physically. But he was the magician, and I was the Normal. He was the one who could face danger, and I was weak and small and in need of being set away on a shelf. Like a tiny glass trinket in need of bubble wrap and careful handling.

I seethed. “Fuck you, Julian.”

“Fuck me?” Julian looked completely aghast at the outburst. He looked my face over, and when I didn't budge in my anger, his face scowled in return. “Fuck _me_? I’m saving your ass!”

“Yeah, fuck you. Fuck you for treating me like I'm gonna break," I snarled it. And once it started, I couldn't stop it. "Fuck you for coming into my life, fuck you for fucking it up.”

“What?" His accent made it sound weird, like he skipped half the word. "I fucked up _your_ life? Like it was so much better before!”

Was he even arguing with me? “If it was so much better, why are you trying to send me off to it again? It was shit. It was shit and you know it. I was nobody. I had nothing! I was going nowhere. I had nobody!” My voice ended in a bit of a choke. “I could have been fine with it. I never would have known what I was missing, if it weren’t for you!”

Julian balked.

“And now you want to take it all away?”

Julian said nothing, but looked like someone had slapped him in the face. He turned his head away, and his hair followed the motion in a sad flow.

“Fuck you, Julian. You aren’t going to push me away. You aren't going to...demean me. I make my own choices. And my choice is to be with you!”

It was as if he didn't even hear half of what I said. “I am not trying to push you away. I am trying to save you.”

“You already have.” I let the fight out of me. I sagged. “I’ve lived more in the past few weeks than my whole life. I know its not always...danger and magic and stuff. And that’s not what I mean. I mean...you. I mean...you turned my life upside down and I don’t want it to go back to the way it was. I didn't know who I was. I didn't know...so much. You can't...show up and open my eyes and then...just go!”

Julian still looked like a kid who’d just got told off by a teacher.

"I may be a Normal again, but I am not _normal_. You know that Julian. You know that!"

Julian looked to the ceiling. His throat worked as he swallowed.

“Say something.”

He didn’t.

“Julian!”

“Same,” was all he said.

“Same?”

He opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say died and came out as a defeated sigh.

I went over and sat back down on the bed, in the direction that he stared. I moved until he had to look at me. He turned his head away. I turned his chin back to me with a finger. “Same?”

“You fucked my life up, too, Liam.” He gave a sad smile. “Do you blame me for wanting you to be safe?”

“I don't need to be safe. I need to be happy. _You_ make me happy."

"No. No, don't say that. That...isn't true." 

“How the fuck do you know?” It didn’t come out angry at all. It came out like a whisper. Something you’d say to someone before you kissed them, like, saying _I love you_. I could say it. I wouldn’t be lying. I did love him. Fuck. I loved a guy. A fucking mess of a guy. Just say it, Liam. Just tell him.

His eyes met mine. 

“Julian,” I started. I bit my lip. This must’ve done something, because he leaned over and kissed me. It wasn’t that hungry sort of kiss we gave each other when desperate for each other, which seemed to happen a lot, but soft. Like he was just making sure I was there. I laughed a bit and turned away. “Julian, look. I have to…”

"Have to what?"

I met his eyes. "I just. I have to tell you something. It's..." I felt my cheeks heat up. Why was this hard? Why was it hard to admit? Maybe because there was no way to know the consequence. Maybe...I couldn't bear it if Julian didn't feel the same. Well...if he didn't, I guess that was fine. But what if it put him off? What if it scared him more than he already was?

I was fooling myself. None of that mattered. We'd work through it. Right? 

I would be admitting that I loved a man. And...that scared me.

Perhaps it was a part of me that I was still not ready to face.

It scared the shit out of me.

"Yes?" He asked it softly.

He looked expectant. Like he was hanging on my every word.

Just say it Liam. Tell him you love him. 

"I...I just..."

"Hey," Julian smiled softly. "Whatever it is...we'll find a solution, yeah? If...if you really want to be a part of this, we can figure it out. Just...please don't hate me."

I blinked. "I don't hate you. I was trying to tell you that I..."

We heard a barrage of footsteps heading our way. Julian looked to the door, and I ducked my head, cursing. He placed his hand on my chest lightly as if to say, _we'll come back to this. I promise._

Everything important between us was always interrupted. It was becoming annoying, super annoying. All I wanted was to tell the man I loved that I love him, and I couldn't even do that. The room was suddenly filled with Mia, then Carter, then Brioni. They all started to jabber all at once.

“We have to get back. I have no service here and I need to post to Youtube.”

“This rock you found is amazing. It has no more magical properties, according to the professor, but I think its worth taking a second look.”

“I told you not to fuck him.”

I looked to Julian. 

"You were the one who insisted that they were my friends," he said.

"Fuck."


	34. Doublemint

I could have sworn that Liam was going to confess his love for me.

I hoped he was. I wanted him to. I wanted it more than anything I have ever wanted in my whole life. Just to hear him say it. Just to hear his voice tell me those words. But...it was more than I could ask for, wasn't it? We'd just fought. No one would tell someone something like that after a fight, right?

He fumbled with his words, and I realized that perhaps he wasn't going to tell me he loved me. 

Maybe he was going to break up with me.

It was too much for him. 

I was too much for many people, it seemed. Sometimes I was too much for _me_. What was I expecting? I'd drug the boy to hell and back more than I wanted, and then he was saddled with _me_ at the end of it. I'd disrespected him, offended him, and nearly got him killed. _Again!_

I'd break up with me. 

I had to stop it. I couldn't...I couldn't bear it. Not now, right when we were gearing up to face the Dean again. Or, I thought that's what we were doing. He'd given me so much strength with his presence. It was like he'd been sent to me right when I was kicked as low as I could be, and he'd been a buoy holding me up. Keeping my head above water. And...to have that ripped away now? I don't think I could handle it. Not now. Save it for later, Liam. Save it for when I was dead.

It'd be easier then, wouldn't it?

I let him know it'd be okay. He didn't have to tell me anything. 

And for once, I was glad when the three amigos spilled into the room. But I couldn't let _them_ know that. Or Liam.

I turned away from him and gave the three my best _don't you fucking dare_ glare.

They all paused in their blabber. Even Brioni, who blinked at me with wide eyes.

“Out,” I said. It sounded like I was chastising a dog. I even pointed to the door. “Go. Get out. What is wrong with you? How come you’re always barging into my room? Don’t you knock?”

“Knock on what?” Mia asked, sitting on the far end of the bed. “There are no doors. Just curtains.”

“Leafy ones,” Carter said, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

“And it isn’t your room,” Brioni said. “It’s Orchid or Oregano’s room.”

“Oleander,” Liam said.

“Whatever.”

“Look,” Carter pushed himself forward and held out something that looked like charred turd. I curled my lip at it, but took it and examined it. Closely.

“Is that a…”

“Left ventricle. And atrium,” Mia said absently. She continued fiddling with her phone and popped gum. I almost told her off for chewing gum. It wasn’t allowed here. Anything that caused waste wasn't allowed here. The elf dimension was all natural. They even served food on edible plates with edible utensils. Handcrafted ones. I hated to think what the elves did with their own piss and shit.

“A what?” Liam asked.

Mia sighed and put her phone down. “A part of a heart. Unwrapped.” She leaned over the bed and pointed at the thing in my hand. “Look. Pulmonary vein. Mitral valve. Atrium. Ventricle.” She looked up to see us all looking at her. “Yeah. Not as dumb as you think.”

“We didn’t think you were dumb,” Carter said.

“Please,” she said, sitting back. She popped her gum a few times.

“If this is a left part of a heart,” Liam said, taking up the icky thing. “Where’s the rest of it?”

“You tell us,” I said. “You had this in your hand when we brought you back.”

“Me?” Liam looked the thing over. “I don’t remember this.”

“It was tied to the magic you had, the magic that pushed out _my_ magic.”

Liam frowned. “I don’t...I’m sorry, I don’t remember this thing.” 

“What _did_ happen?” Brioni asked. “I mean, we’ve guessed that you and the Dean had a row. Somehow magic got transferred to you. And then…?” She motioned with her hand in question. Her fingernails gleamed.

“Um…” Liam looked a little uncomfortable, but I tried not to dwell on it too much. I fought the need to go over there and...do what? Be near him, I guess. That’s all I wanted. But if he was going to break up with me, maybe I needed to keep my distance. Liam fidgeted. “Well, one minute we were leaving to go meet Julian’s dad, and then the next I was out on the patio. It was...frozen. Like, time stopped. And then I saw the Dean but...he was creepy. He looked like a piece of paper.”

“Yeah, we saw that,” I said. “Like he was cut out from a paper bag.”

“He attacked me. I think he knew I had your magic, but he was confused with something. It was your magic, but not you. He didn’t understand who or what I was, or how he could sense your magic in me. When he attacked, it was like he was searching my whole body from the inside. He was in my cells.” Liam shuddered. I met his eyes. He looked away. Was he coming to the realization of how dangerous this all was? It was easy to forget if you repressed your memories. I mean, he wasn't one to hide things, but I could tell he was reluctant to fork over the info.

“He tried to burn me, then he tried to beat me...I think he threw me or something. But I figured out that he wasn’t real. I had the fire poker, and when I stabbed the floor, it hurt him. It made a hole in his head. He and the whole place were the same thing. I…” Liam went wide eyed. The memory had to be disturbing, because the room went quiet as he sat with it. I opened my mouth to speak, but Mia beat me too it. For a moment I was jealous, but I squashed it, just like my instinct to go over and comfort him.

“It’s ok, Liam. You don’t have to tell us if it freaks you out.” She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not that. It’s just…” He swallowed and shifted. “If it had been any other person, I would have _killed him._ But I couldn’t. I hit him and damaged him, but he didn’t go down. And I could have killed him. I _wanted_ to kill him. I was so angry and so...tired of all this, I did my best to end it. I wasn’t even thinking. I was just...doing.” He paused. His voice grew quiet. “I wasn’t even me.”

Mia’s eyebrows went up, and she sat back, her hand leaving Liam’s shoulder.

“I ripped his heart out,” Liam continued. He turned the heart piece around and around in his palm, like a worry stone. “A part of it, anyway. I reached into him and ripped his heart out, and it still didn’t kill him.”

“The magic must’ve left the Dean then, and transferred to you,” Carter said, missing the emotional cues of the room entirely. I tried not to look so irritated, but he ignored my glare as well. “The magic of many magicians. Like what the elf said.” He grabbed the heart piece out of Liam's hand despite a small protest he made. “If this housed the magic of the Chosen Ones, and you took a part of it, maybe that means the Dean is somehow weakened.”

“That’s a big assumption,” Brioni said.

“Do you have a better idea?” Carter replied.

“Isn’t it? The Dean holds all the power of these dead kids? And the Dean isn’t even real? You said it was a perception spell, Julian. No one uses a perception spell except entities without physical form. Otherwise, people just use illusions.”

“What if that’s exactly what it is?” Liam said. He gave me a cautionary look. “What if your sister was right all along?”

I scoffed and turned away from them all to give the room a few paces. 

“Excuse me? Right about what?” Brioni said, mirth in her voice. Oh yes, let’s give her something to brag about. As if I wouldn't have to hear her blabbing about all of this once it was all over. If it was ever all over.

“The Crab of Magic,” Liam said. 

“Only you’d name something the Crab of Magic,” Mia said.

“You mean the creature of evolution and intent incarnate? Those aren’t even real,” Brioni said. “I was just taking the piss.”

“Taking piss?” Liam asked.

“She was messing with us,” I said. “She is always messing with us.” I shot her a glare.

“Wow, Julian. Back to the barbs, are we? I thought we’d had a moment. Came to terms,” Brioni feigned offense.

“Hey,” Carter said. “I don’t know either of you too well, but let’s try to focus. This is the best clue we’ve had for a while. Even the professor says that their culture has a history with these creatures. Just because _we_ don’t think its real doesn’t mean it isn’t. It would explain a lot of things.”

“But not how the Dean is tied to it,” Liam said. “Or any of the other staff.”

“Yeah, like my creepy counselor,” I said. “The cheerleader? With the too-wide smile?”

“Okay, there is that,” Carter put a finger to his chin and tapped it. “Well, let’s see how it does fit. We have a school with a curse that changes to adapt to the current Chosen One and their specific time period. It learns from what is taught in the school. It doesn’t take effect in any buildings that were not part of the original floorplans of the school, and tried to hide that fact. The staff tried to hide the history of certain Chosen Ones. Then, the school completely lost its shit and turned into some sort of giant goblin monster that reacted to the over abundance of magical types and their magic at your rave.” He pointed to me. “The school is your crab of magic. It learned enough about this era and the need for schools, turned itself into a school, and lured in people with concentrated magic to sustain itself.” Carter shrugged. “Easy.”

“Yeah,” I said, raising a brow at him. “Easy.”

“But when, what about the staff? The Dean?” Liam asked. He rubbed his face with his hands. “Why do they care if the place eats people’s magic or not? They could always just go get another job or something. They don’t _have_ to be a part of it.”

“Unless they do,” Carter said. “The Dean wasn’t real. We don’t even know if the Dean is even a real entity. How do we know that your counselor is real? The teachers?”

“Professor S is _real_ ,” Mia said. Did everyone else miss the way she looked when she said that? Was it just me?

“I mean, philosophically speaking, we don’t know what is real and what is not. Neurobiologically speaking, the world exists due to the sensory perception of our brains. What good is a sense without the brain to interpret it?”

“Okay, Descartes,” Mia said, rolling her eyes at him. “Get to the point.”

“The Dean needed Liam’s brain to create realness for himself. What if the staff, the ones in on it anyway, are doing the same thing?” Carter continued.

“Yeah but, Liam had to invite us into his perception for us to see the Dean,” I said. “Everyone else could see Deandrea. Liam did, Oleander did. Amanda. Even Billy Andy.”

“That doesn’t make it real. There are instances of group hallucinations.”

“Like what?”

“UFOs. The magical world insists they don’t exist. All dimensions have been explored, and no such creatures have been found. Yet people have reported experiences of UFOs, some in groups. They all insist they saw the same thing. And that can include cryptozoology, ghost encounters…”

“Ghosts are real,” Brioni said. “You know great-granddad still haunts the third floor. Despite everything we've done to get the old cod to pass on.”

“The point is, we don’t know if those people are real. For all we know...they could be extensions of the school itself. The goblin monster.”

“Can we please stop calling it a goblin? Some of my good friends are goblins,” Brioni whined.

“Explains a lot,” I muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay, um, so how do we stop it,” Liam said tiredly. He rubbed his forehead. “I doubt the Dean is going to show up again so that I can rip out the rest of his heart.”

I wanted to retort that Liam was not part of the _we_ that was going to face the Dean. Or the school. Or the crab of magic or whatever the fuck it was. “I think Ward and Sozzagoz have been creating a plan. We should...probably all go out to see it and not be crowded in here.” I motioned to the door. I knew that as soon as they left that I'd be left with Liam and the inevitable break up. I could feel my heart pound and my insides come afire at the fear of it. Tunnel vision was starting to creep in. “And we need to freshen up and stuff. Please.”

The others exchanged glances, then awkwardly made their way out, with Carter taking up the rear. He turned to us before leaving. “Do you think that perhaps the holographic beings are us, and that…”

“Get out, Carter, before I magic your mouth to only spew out pig-latin.”

Carter made a face, but left.

“He’s just trying to help,” Liam defended. “In fact, he’s been the most help.”

“I can only take so much philosophy for one day.” I shrugged. We sat there in silence for a few seconds. “Liam…look, if you want to break up with me...”

"Break up with you? What makes you think I'm going to break up with you?"

"It seems to be in line with how the conversation was going."

"You don't throw away the whole thing over a _fight_ , Julian," he scoffed. "That...is the farthest thing from what I was going to say."

"It is?" I tried not to look so relieved. Or scared. 

Stupid Liam knew just what to do, while I continued to fumble. He came over and took up my hands. I couldn't meet his eyes. I couldn't show him just how scared I was. I'd convinced myself that he was going to leave me, and then, I was wrong. My head couldn't keep up. I was both triumphant and exhausted. My insides were still fluttering in anxiety.

He leaned his forehead to mine. I let out a shuddering breath.

Fuck him. Fuck me.

"You really want me to stay?" He asked.

"I'd...prefer it. But I know I can't stop you. I was wrong to...try to make you." I bit my lip. "I was wrong to treat you like...you couldn't handle yourself." I scoffed. "I can't pretend I'm the hero out of both of us."

Liam gave no banter. I think he ignored what I said. “Then stay with me.”

“What?”

Liam smiled up at me. “Stay with me." He pulled away slightly. "Let someone else go. Ward and her agents. People trained to do this shit, who get paid for it, and think it is an honor to die for it. Stay with me, and let’s just...not do that for a while. Who says you have to go?” He tugged at my hands.

He was right. Nothing said I had to go. I could stay here, with him, while the adults did all the work. I could just...relax. And enjoy life. Enjoy Liam. Enjoy Liam and I, together. Fuck up our lives a little bit more.

He backed up against the bed and dragged me with him. He sat and parted his legs so that I stood between them, then pulled me down by my lapels to kiss him. He still smelled like burnt paper and cedarwood. I tilted his head to the side with my own and breathed him in. He pulled at my jacket, then my waistband, until he pulled me straight onto his lap. 

His hands slowly inched the jacket over my shoulders and down my arms, then unbuttoned the buttons of my shirt, and slowly, agonizingly, pulled the tie from around my neck while pointedly meeting my eyes. His hands wrapped about me and scaled my back. He was so perfect, the way he touched me. Like I always wanted to be touched. Maybe it was just because it was him. Maybe it was because I craved it so much. No, it was him.

We made out. Slow and wonderful. He shrugged off the damaged coat jacket he was still wearing, and I could see dirt and grime collected on the shirt. I touched the collar and he looked down at it. “Sorry,” he said. It came out a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat. “I keep ruining your clothes.”

“No bother,” I said. I climbed off him.

“Where are you going?”

“Let me show you one of my favorite spells.”

“I...didn’t think that’s what we were doing.” He sounded disappointed. “I mean, unless its a kind of...I don't think we need magic to do _that._ "

“C’mon. Humor me.”

“Fine.”

I motioned to him and realized I didn’t have my wand. Where even was it? It didn’t matter. My magic was at the ready either way. “Bibbity, bobbity, boo!”

The spell was a real one, and did exactly what it did in the movie. Sparkles circled about Liam and poofed their way up his form, transforming his rags to riches right before our eyes. It worked based on the perception of the wearer as to what was the best clothing, so his worn out suit - which was mine, by the way - was replaced with charcoal jeans, a brown belt, and a white button-down. Sleeves rolled to the forearm. His hair styled beautifully. A slight stubble was left. He even had a polished leather strap watch.

The jacket he had tossed away had turned into a casual, olive utilitarian number.

He looked down at himself, then at me. “Seriously?”

“What? You’re not impressed?”

“Only you would interrupt sex for a costume change.”

He had a point. I motioned to myself and gave a half hearted bibbity bobbity. The horrible banker’s suit transformed into an Ambush number with skinny slacks and a striped, nearly sheer sweater. The jacket turned into a roomy, kimono-like style made of leather. The tie turned into a chunky knit scarf. The shoes, Chelseas.

“I can’t help it,” I said.

Liam stood and looked me over. “All these beautiful clothes,” he said. He traced the stripe of the sweater, down, down to my navel, with one finger. 

“Are you going to say something ridiculous?” I asked.

“What? That I like you better without them?”

“I can...always put them back on.” I began to pull the sweater up.

“No, I think I can work around it.”

“Work around it?”

Liam smirked at me as he got down to one knee, then the other. I blinked. Was he serious?

He must’ve read my mind. He blushed. He laughed. “Just...tell me if I do something wrong.”

“I...okay,” I managed. My hand found his hair. I let it thread softly through my fingers.

He pressed his lips to me, over my clothes, in an open mouth kiss.

Fuck.

If this was a fucked up life, then, I would never want it to change.

Maybe, it was just meant to be this way.


	35. Same

We left the room - after many “as good as new” spells later - to find mostly everyone in the room with the table that Ward and her agents had stolen from Julian’s house. Carter was there, inspecting the heart piece. Brioni was there, seated at the table, her legs on a chair, looking bored as fuck. Mia and the professor were gone.

Oleander, the other elves, and the agents were all talking at one end of the table. I wondered if that’s where they’d been all night. Ward and her agents had made a change of clothing, and wore black tactical gear, like they were going to swoop in like a SWAT team hitting a drug house. The elves looked a little more relaxed, but still perturbed at our presence. One curled their lip at us when we exited the room. Oleander frowned at them, then came to greet us. 

“Agent Ward and the others wish to have a word with you,” they said. They turned to Julian. “Your fashion sense is impeccable, Julian.” Julian smiled despite himself, I’m sure. I’d convinced him to put back his hair in a little ponytail, and to magic his piercings back. I had to look away, or else I’d drag him back into the flower room.

“Yeah, we have something to say, too,” I said instead. Julian and I exchanged glances, then took a seat at the table. Ward gave us her full attention. Suddenly a lot of eyes were on me. I cleared my throat. “We’ve decided we aren’t going to go with you to face the Dean, and the school.”

Ward looked genuinely surprised, which I think was a hard thing to do. One of her perfectly manicured brows raised. “Oh?”

“We’re just kids, if you think about it,” Julian said. “This is our freshman year of uni. We should be focusing on studies and parties and such.”

“And we aren’t trained for this kind of thing,” I added. “We don’t know what we’re doing.”

“We shouldn’t have been put in this position in the first place.”

“It’s really not our mess to clean up.”

“And we’d just be in your way.”

“We’d be more of a liability than anything.”

“It’s better if we leave this to trained professionals,” Julian finished. “You know, people such as yourselves, who are prepared to handle such situations.”

Brioni gave a chuckle. “You’re such a twat, Julian.”

“You...basically stole the words right out of my mouth,” Ward said. She looked like she was at a loss of words.

“We have...decided to offer you refuge until the debacle with the school’s curse is resolved,” Wisteria said. They motioned to the other elves. “To have such a dangerous curse run rampant in a dimension where other elves currently reside is too much of a risk. And if it is tied to the creature you have described, then all dimensions may be impacted.”

“Oh?” I asked. “How come?”

“All dimensions originate from earth,” Julian said. “If something happens to earth, like, the destruction or consumption of all magic and life on earth, the other dimensions will be thrown out of balance. I mean, technically we  _ are _ on earth. It’s just another plane of existence on the same planet.”

“Correct,” the elf who looked like Oleander said. “If such a creature is the last of its kind, as we suspect, it can consume magic unchecked, and destroy life as it exists on the planet.”

“As if the humans aren’t doing so already,” Wisteria muttered.

“Calm yourself. The humans are trying their best. Besides, we have agreed to treaties in attempts to help their kind restore balance.”

“To what end, Violet? Nothing has come of it.”

“Yes, well, as delightful as it is to argue why we need a new iPhone every year, or the Pacific plastic continent, we have more pressing matters,,” Julian said. “We can argue recycling and reducing later.”

Wisteria frowned. “The issue is not so much the trash left over, but the need for…”

“We can argue this later,” Violet said. Oleander looked relieved. “Julian is right. We have more pressing matters to address at the moment.”

“Yes. Well.” Ward looked relieved that the argument ended before it really started. “Thanks to your Youtube channel, we have devised a plan of attack. Without you there, Julian, the...creature, if you will...will be less inclined to attack us. However, we will be addressing this threat as we do any other. We were able to send a missive to agents in the earth sphere last night, so they are planning their approach at this moment. We will give them to the end of today, as they will be about ready at that time. Professor Sozzagoz will be accompanying us for support, but will not be involved in the actual attack. He was good enough to provide us a layout of the school, and an estimated layout as it stands now.”

Ward held up her hands and summoned a yellow ball of energy. The ball expanded and the energy converged to create a blueprint of a building...or something that looked like it. Instead of straight lines and rooms, the thing looked like a jumbled mess.

“Looks like the Winchester house,” I murmured.

“Much like that, but worse,” Ward said. She flicked her wrist, and the schematic turned flat. It expanded upward to show various levels of the school, and the shape of what it had looked like when we had left was outlined. “The creature is using the school materials as part of its attack, as per the professor’s account, which corroborated your footage. Its magic, for a lack of better terms, is limited to its somewhat physical being.”

“So why can’t you just destroy the school?” Carter piped up. “If you bring some bulldozers in, wouldn’t you just...take its physical form? Make it powerless?”

“He has a point,” I said.

“The creature is more than a physical form,” Brioni said. She sighed. She looked completely tired, despite the refreshing spells she must’ve cast on herself to make her hair, make-up, and clothes impeccable over the course of a day and night. “It is sustained on energy. Without the physical form, it can amalgamate somewhere else, especially with all the magic it has absorbed. Again, that’s what your professor said.”

“Where is he?” Julian asked.

“He and Mia went out to go see the mermaids,” Carter said. He pushed his glasses up his nose and raised his brows.

“Is that...okay?” I asked it to Julian.

“She isn’t his student,” he shrugged.

“But isn’t he like...a billion years old?”

“They don’t age like we do…”

“Ahem,” Ward said. “Ms. Shadowcut is correct. If we just destroy the school, if the creature would even allow that to happen, we still have to deal with the creature itself and the energy it has harvested. When you took a piece of its heart,” she motioned to me. “You absorbed that energy. When it was forced out of you, it was released back to earth to be recycled into the magic pool, which then can be born again in future magicians. And...hopefully less magicians with such concentrated powers will be born.” She motioned to Julian.

“Scuse me for existing.” He leaned back in his chair, but I doubted that he was salty over Ward’s comment. I remembered the books that the professor and Carter had discovered. The books his parents were reading. And how they threw him into the mix at Temecula Valley, knowing what he was going to have to deal with.

I reached under the table and took his hand. I felt him calm down under my palm.

“We plan to send a wave of agents in to distract the creature, then send in a second wave at all sides to confuse it. Specific agents in each extraction team will have the specific task of finding the remaining heart of the creature. It will then be removed. These agents are non-magical agents, in hopes that the power within the heart will enter them as it did you, Liam. Then the agent will be extracted, and the energy will be released back into the earth sphere.”

The elves, Brioni, and Carter all murmured their approval of the plan. Only Oleander looked uneasy. “How do we know that this will work?” They asked. “Liam had Julian’s power at the moment that the energy from the Dean was transferred. Perhaps this transfer is specific to the Chosen One’s power.”

“Oleander has a point,” Julian said. He looked to me. “It may just because of me. It could be because of you.”

“Yeah, but I don’t have your power anymore. And if you go, it will kill you,” I said. I gave his hand a squeeze.

“The professor and I have gone over this plan, with the elves, most of the night. All of our simulations have shown that it will work,” Ward said. She waved the yellow magic schematics away. “We leave you in the care of the elves. Please refrain from doing anything that would compromise the treaty between earth and this sphere.” She motioned to her agents and the elves. They filed out of the room through a curtained door that parted for them when they neared it.

Oleander sagged. “I do not think this will work.”

“How come?

“Who bloody cares?” Brioni groused. “I mean, let them figure it out. Do you think they’d actually let us go, even if their simulations didn’t work? And I hate to say it, baby brother, but you were right. Let them handle it.”

“Why don’t you think this will work?” Carter said. “It looks like it will.”

“I am not sure. Something just tells me it won’t.” Oleander shrugged. “I am not quite sure why. But I do think the solution is specific to you both.” They motioned to Julian and I. They sighed. “But yes, you are all our guests now. You may reside here, if you wish, or you can return to my residence, with Violet and I. Although Wisteria may not like it.”

“Violet looks like you,” I said.

“Yes, they are my carrier.”

“Carrier.”

“They carried me and gave birth to me. Wisteria is my...well. My other parent. They are not my original sire.” Oleander frowned. “Usually elves mate for life but…” They rolled their eyes. “It’s complicated.”

“Parents, eh?” Brioni said. She gave Oleander a smirk.

“Quite.”

“Is everyone’s parents messed up here?” Carter asked. 

“Define normal,” everyone in the room asked, all at the same time. Carter raised his brows.

“I mean...still together. Doesn’t want their kids to die? Actually cares for their kids?”

“Way to stick it where it hurts, Carter,” Julian said.

“I mean...look. I’m sorry. It’s just that…”

“Keep digging,” Brioni said. “I’ll let you know when to jump in.”

“I’m not saying  _ my  _ parents are normal. My mom left us when I was like, three. Its just me, my dad, and five other kids. They’re all grown up and gone now, but, the point is...anyone else feel like they’re held to a standard that these people can’t meet themselves?”

We all fell silent. I thought of mom and dad. I thought that, maybe, somewhere in there, they loved me, the best way they knew how. Maybe loving me scared them. Maybe they didn’t know what to do with me. I wasn’t easy for them, not like Natalie. I looked to Brioni. Natalie was so involved in her own world, and so confident in it, I doubt she knew what was happening to me. And if she did, I doubted that she would come to help like Brioni...if Brioni was help anyway. But mom and dad? It seemed like they cared when they thought they were supposed to.

“Well, this has been delightful,” Brioni said. She stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go wallow in self pity.”

“Really?” Carter asked. “I mean, I’m sorry if…”

“No, you absolute dork. I’m going to find something to eat, and some better shoes.” She motioned to the heels she was wearing. “Maybe a spa. Bye!” She left via the same door the others used.

“She is right,” Julian said. “You don’t really know how to read the room.”

Carter shrugged. “Just making an observation.”

“Can’t you observe quietly? To yourself?”

“I think it is time we all go have some time to ourselves,” Oleander said. “Carter, we have a fantastic library that I’m sure you’d love. And Liam, I am sure you would love to see some of the things this realm has to offer?”

“Yeah,” I said, even though I didn’t really care. I was still anxious. Oleander’s appraisal of Ward’s plans didn’t help. But if it got me out of here and away from thinking about my home life, I was for it.

“Come on,” Julian said. He stood and took my hand. His smile was genuine and pleased. “I know exactly where to go. You don’t mind a short hike?”

“No, lead the way.”

He pressed a kiss to my cheek. I tried not to blush, but Carter and Oleander had already left the room. We followed, but instead of diverging to the path - I swear it looked like it just popped out of a Snow White movie - that Oleander and Carter took, we took a different path. The room itself was actually a solitary building that looked like it was carved out of the stone that made up...wherever we were. The path led to a series of spiraling stone stairs that were worn down in the middle from traffic that must’ve come from hundreds of years of use. The stairs clung to a cliff face that was trimmed with outcrops full of fantastic plants of every shade imaginable. A woven vine railing separated us from the open air.

I gawked at the scenery. It was a utopia, for sure. I wondered if this was what people thought heaven looked like when we died. I wondered if heaven could compare. 

Julian chuckled when we came to a landing. “I love seeing people’s faces when they first come here. It’s hilarious.”

“Yeah, well, this is normal for you,” I motioned out to the scenery. “Unicorns and rainbows and shit.”

“It isn’t home, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He motioned for me to follow him and we headed down the rest of the stairs. They bottomed out at a flowery meadow with several stone paths. The meadow looked like it wasn’t carefully planned, yet, had the feel that it did. There weren’t carefully pruned flower beds or topiaries, but everything seemed to have an order. There wasn’t a weed in sight.

Julian took my hand and we walked silently through it all. There were ponds with water so clear you could see the bottom, and all the little colorful fish inside. Stone bird baths and fountains could be found here and there, but they all seemed to be hewn from the surroundings. There were no statues or kitschy garden gnomes. 

“Do you like it?” Julian asked after a bit.

“Who wouldn’t?” I let my hand graze some flowers. Sparkles came off the petals and coated my hand. I looked at them in awe, then tried to shake them off. They flew off in a cloud of glitter. I turned to Julian. “You wouldn’t want to live here?”

Julian shrugged. “I don’t think humans could stand this place for long. Its nice to visit, but after a while...its too good. Too pure and perfect. I think humans need chaos to survive.”

I raised a brow. “Really?”

“You don’t think so? Internet bullying, trash TV, politics, war, gossip? Humans like being unhappy. They think it gives their life meaning.”

“Okay, Carter.” 

“It's true. Otherwise...we’d be here. All of us. Enjoying paradise.”

“Now you sound like an evangelical.”

“I don’t even know what that is.”

“You’re a nut for American culture and you don’t know what that is?”

“Will it ruin the mood?”

“Yes, it will ruin the mood.”

“Then fuck it.”

I smirked. “Good advice.”

We continued on. The place was endless. We passed a few curious elves. I waved to them and one hesitantly waved back. At one point, we saw a herd of unicorns at the banks of a larger pond, which held basking mermaids.

“Disney would have loved this place.”

“He took much of his inspiration from here.”

“For real?”

“You think Walt Disney wasn’t a magician?” Julian chuckled. “You have so much to learn.”

“Don’t be condescending.”

“It’s cute.”

“I am not cute.”

“You are. I think you are. I always thought that.”

My cheeks were on fire. “Whatever.”

Julian led me to a covered pier that was built into the larger pond. A white boat sat there, with oars. We didn’t get in, though. There were some benches, so we sat, sitting across from each other.

“Julian?”

“Yeah?”

I bit my lip. “There was something I wanted to tell you. Back in the...cottage or whatever it was.”

“Yeah.”

“I...it’s not easy to say.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything that makes you uncomfortable.” Julian smiled softly. 

“It’s...no, it’s not that.” I could feel my palms getting sweaty. When did it get hot? There was a cool breeze going. I was sure that my cheeks were red with blush. “It’s...it’s just…” I met his eyes. “You...mean a lot to me, Julian. Like...fuck. I think more than when I was with Mia.”

“Are you sure you aren’t breaking up with me?”

“No. Damn it, Julian. No.” I huffed. “It’s just...unexpected. Everything. Like I don’t know what to do with it all. What do you do, when everything you never knew you wanted was handed to you? And then...all this fucked up stuff happens? No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. I’m trying...just...fuck.” I looked away. My knee twitched up and down. My next words came out in a whisper. “Why can’t I do this?”

I shook my head.

“Forget it.”

We were silent for a bit. I could only imagine what Julian was thinking. I couldn’t even express how I felt to him. I never hesitated like this with anyone. But then again, I’d never told anyone else that I loved them. It was all so fucked up. How come I couldn’t do this? How come there was some...wall? I just wanted to tell him. Tell him, Liam. Tell him!

Julian stood. His movement was so fluid and gentle. He took the step or two to cross the space between us to sit beside me. He grabbed up my hand and pulled me in for a kiss, but I just shook my head.

“Liam.”

I looked anywhere but him. I swallowed. “What.”

“I...same.”

I scoffed.

Julian turned my chin towards him. His breath was cool against my cheek. Against my lips.

“Same, Liam.”

I gave him a choked sort of noise, where my words just...failed me. But it didn’t matter. I let him kiss me and pull me close. My leg entwined with his, and I pulled at his expensive, see-through sweater to get him as close to me as I could.

He parted from me only enough to whisper it between our lips.

“Same.”


	36. Mum's the Word

He loved me.

The realization struck every nerve in my body, causing a thrill that had tingled in my fingers and toes. It stole the breath out of my throat, and with it, my voice. A slight tremble took me over, and my heart, oh, my heart...I think it may have stopped beating for a moment. And all I could think was... _same_.

Liam struggled to speak. He appeared to be on the verge of breaking down in tears or running away. It was too much for him. And who was I to let him sit in distress.

I got up and went over to him, and gathered him up in my arms.

_Same, Liam. Same._

The tenseness in his body melted out of his limbs as I held him close and kissed him. Time passed, I think, as we sat there. Our kissing turned to a shared breath. A tease. His head under my chin. Then, he lay across my lap, my hand in his hair, his eyes closed. I played dot to dot with his freckles until he swatted my hand away.

“Stop ruining the moment,” he murmured.

“Heaven forbid,” I replied. Even so, I trailed my hand down his cheek. He looked up at me, and I’m sure the angle was unflattering. He didn’t seem to mind. 

“Julian?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

I chuckled. “For what?”

“For...saving me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything.”

I was confused, but decided not to try to figure it out. “Think nothing of it.”

Liam chuckled. “You don’t even know what I’m talking about, do you?”

“Probably not. I’m not big on thinking in moments like these. Thoughts muck things up. Makes you think logically. It takes you away from what you really want to do.”

Liam made a noise as if he were thinking on the words I’d said. His hand came up to hold mine as my thumb stroked down his cheek. I leaned back in the bench and slung my other arm over the backrest. I was blessedly content. Or was I just relaxed after days on days of craziness? But like I’d said, I didn’t want to think on it. I was calmed by the weight and warmth of Liam’s presence on my lap. A slight breeze teased at the little pieces of hair that had escaped the ponytail that Liam had insisted I wear. I’d taken off my jacket so the breeze sifted through my sweater.

If it was anymore perfect, we’d be on a beach and would be served tropical drinks while watching crystal clear waves roll in.

Or naked. In my bed back home.

Or naked on a private beach.

No. Not that. Sand would get places it shouldn’t. 

I was thinking of what other places I’d love to take Liam - like France, or Thailand, or even Belize - when we heard a set of footsteps coming up the path. I opened my eyes to see who it was. Mia. Alone. She had a small smile on her face, and looked as pleased as can be. 

“Who is it?” Liam asked. His eyes were shut.

“Mia.”

“And Professor S?”

“Nope.”

“Huh.” Liam’s eyebrows gave a quirk.

“Shhh.” It came out as a laugh. I turned an overly pleasant smile to Mia as she came over and took a seat on the bench across from us. “Mia.”

She gave me a knowing smile, and looked to Liam, then to me. She didn’t say a word, but rested her legs on the bench and relaxed back. She pulled out her ever present phone and pointed it our way.

“Don’t,” Liam said.

“What?”

“I thought you couldn’t upload.”

“I can still record.”

I lifted a finger to her phone. She gaped as her battery slowly drained and then her phone powered down. “What the fuck, Julian?”

“That’s the magic of, well, magic.” I smirked at her. "Don't worry. I can power it back up when I can be sure you aren't filming us."

“I liked you better when you couldn’t do magic.”

“I didn’t.”

“All I was going to do was record how cute you two are being.” Mia gave a pout. “Now that you’re boyfriends and all.”

“Speaking of boyfriends,” my smirk turned into a grin. “How is the professor?”

Liam opened his eyes and turned them to Mia.

Mia’s lips parted, and her eyes widened suddenly, before being replaced with furrowed brows. I hadn’t missed it, however. I gave a laugh. Liam chuckled and shut his eyes. “It’s not like that!”

“It seems like that.”

“Well it’s not.” Mia crossed her arms. 

“I’m just connecting the dots.”

“There aren’t any dots to connect.” Mia pulled her legs off the bench and scowled. “Your boyfriend is a dick, Liam.”

“I like him that way,” Liam said. His other hand hugged my arm to him.

“If it’s not like that,” I said. “Then what is it? You two seem rather chummy.”

“He’s just nice to talk to, that’s all.”

“I thought you had a boyfriend to talk to.”

“I _do_. But not about this kind of stuff.”

“Do elaborate.”

“Professor S is intelligent. I mean, not that Aaron isn’t intelligent. It’s a different kind of intelligent. Like, book smart.”

“A nerd.”

“Whatever. He knows a lot, and I can talk to him about science type stuff without him being condescending or him not being interested.” Mia shrugged. “It’s just...different. He knows so much about this place. And stuff on earth. You two would learn a lot from him.”

“I would have, if the school hadn’t torn itself to pieces,” I said.

“So, it’s _not_ like that.” Mia looked away. She thought. Her fingers tapped on the bench back rest. I waited, and returned my attention back to Liam for a moment. His lips were so soft. My thumb glanced over them, and enjoyed the contrasting roughness of his stubble. Liam turned his face towards me. Shit, he was beautiful.

“Is it?” I looked up to see Mia giving me a troubled expression. Her eyes glanced between Liam and I. She played a bit with her fingernails. 

I laughed. “You’re going to cheat on your boyfriend, then?”

“I am _not_ a cheater.”

“She isn’t a cheater,” Liam said.

I held up my free hand in surrender. “I am just teasing. It’s a vice.”

“It is,” Liam said.

“Shush.”

“All right,” Liam grunted. He sat up, leaving me with residual warmth that was replaced with stark coolness. I almost shivered. “Enough PDA for the day. Mia, I can only really go off my own experience with you but...are you happy?”

“This sounds like a serious conversation,” I muttered. I stood and shrugged on my jacket. I could see Oleander a ways away on the path. Carter was with them, or rather, Carter had been with them, but was now stepped off the path to look more closely at something. That boy’s curiosity was going to get him killed one day. It looked like a great way to cut myself out of what was sure to be a sticky exchange of words. “I’ll leave you to it.” I gave Liam a pat on the cheek, just to annoy him. He pushed my hand away.

"Asshole."

I gave him a smirk over my shoulder.

I could hear Liam and Mia talk amongst themselves as I left. I had no qualms about interspecies love, but Normals were often iffy about it. And it was hard, too, when most other intelligent species lived so much longer than humans. It wasn’t for me. I’d never been interested, yet there had been instances that had rocked the news and gossip media in the past. If Mia was going to get involved with a gargoyle, she had better be prepared for the backlash.

Actually, she may be the best person _to_ face such a thing.

I gave a nod to Oleander as I neared them. They seemed amused, and pointed to Carter investigating a strange bug. It flew, but had no wings. Instead, it used its aura to propel itself here and there. Swarms of them helped them to gain better height as they bumped into each other. “How’s it going? Teaching the toddlers about bugs?”

“I heard that,” Carter said. He didn’t even look up.

“No. I just warn him if he picks up anything that stings.”

I chuckled. “Carter, if you mess with that one too much, you’ll absorb its aura. Or it will absorb yours.”

“I don’t believe in auras.”

“You’re a magic-phile and don’t believe in auras?”

“Auras are mystical. Magic is physical.”

I scoffed. He was right though. Like I'd tell him that.

“I am actually glad you are here, Julian,” Oleander said. “Carter found something interesting in the library.”

“Oh? I’d expect everything to be interesting in there. For Carter.”

“It’s magic,” Carter said. One of the bugs had landed on his hand. He was watching it crawl about. “An ancient, unused source of magic.”

“Aren’t they all ancient spells? The ones that matter, anyway.”

“What Carter means is that it is ancient and _tricky_ magic ,” Oleander said. “So ancient and tricky that no one has disturbed the coffer the instructions are set in for millennia.”

“Yeah, but someone’s touched it in the past ten years,” Carter said. He let the little bug fly off and stood. He pulled his own phone from his pocket, and brought up a photo. I took the phone and looked at what appeared to be elven writing on a scroll. It was next to a coffer covered in dust, save for four fingerprints on the cover. “Someone human. Someone magical, who was able to get past the coffer's locking spell.”

“Are you sure?” I sighed. “It could be anyone." I glanced over at them. They looked over at me with expectant expressions. "Look, just because I’m a magician doesn’t mean I care about any of this historical nonsense. And no offense, Oleander, but I don’t find elven history or spells particularly enjoyable.”

“No one ever does.” Oleander smirked. “I don’t even like it.”

“Then why did you take me to the library?” Cartner asked. 

Oleander just shrugged, their hands clasped behind their back.

“Hmm.” Carter took his phone, locked the screen, and put it back in his pocket. “Fine. Make fun of me. But we wouldn’t have gotten this far without me.” I thought he’d be angry, but he just turned away and found some other flower to be interested in.

I remembered what Liam had said. Carter had been the most help. Even more helpful than Brioni, despite all her boasting of her education and being selected for a curse committee. He and his nerd brain were better than myself and Brioni combined. “Sorry, Carter. Tell me...all about _this_ ancient spell.”

“Ancient _magic_ ,” Carter corrected. He sighed, as if I was irritating him by not getting the details right.

“Yes, of course.” I wanted to point out again that all “fun finds” Normals seemed to find in the magic world always revolve around ancient magic. Ancient creatures. Ancient spells. Ancient this or that. Nothing fun ever seemed to be recent or boring or in plain sight. It was always hidden and protected and sealed away in secret. “What...is so significant about this...ancient magic?”

“It’s time-dimensional magic.”

I raised my brows, waiting.

"You know? Space and time? Alternative universes? No?" Carter found a stick and knelt down on the path before I could answer. He found a place that wasn’t paved with stone and drew into the dirt. He drew a sphere, and then circles concentric to it. “The magic dimensions coincide with each other. They exist laterally. As in, a place on earth is the same, geographically, as a place here. Portals can take you from one place to another, but its the same.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“But then there are dimensions of time and reality.”

“No, there isn’t.”

“There is.” He drew out a line. “This is a line of time. It is circular but no creature can actually understand the infinite nature of it.”

“But you can?”

“No. That’s why I’m drawing a straight line.” Carter looked up at me like my suggestion was ludicrous. I shrugged. “Are you even taking this seriously?”

“I will when you get to the point.”

Oleander gave a cough.

“The _point_ is that every person lives along a timeline. There are certain points that are inevitable in that timeline,” he made hashmarks on the line. “Birth. Death. But then there are points where decisions are made.” He made other hashmarks, and then drew lines through them. “Every choice creates a divergent path. And every choice creates a new path of reality. In some other reality, you chose to leave the school and never come back. In another reality, your father and mother raised you differently. The possibilities are endless.”

“Hmm.”

“However, there are points on a timeline where all realities converge. Everything is the same in all realities. Even minute differences mean nothing, as that point is exactly the same.” He drew many lines that joined at the original line at one point. “It’s rare. Very rare. But when it happens, magical energy is released from all time dimensions. All realities. And the magic is...enough to do the unspeakable. To do things no one is capable of doing. Even crabs of magic.”

He pointed to the spot where the lines joined. 

“Things like...forcing your magic into the body of a Normal.”

I blinked as realization came to me. I whispered it out loud. “Our first kiss.”

I remembered how, at that moment, the car had exploded. Or it had seemed like it had exploded. Something happened between Liam and I that forced us apart, and the cart to disassemble on itself, and...my magic had transferred from myself to Liam. And had _stayed_ until the Dean's energy had forced the magic back to _me._

Had that moment been that poignant?

“In all realities, that happens. And when it happened, at that precise moment, someone took advantage of the flood of magical energy, and performed a spell no one could do at any other time.” Carter straightened and dusted his hands. He tossed the stick to the side, where a few sprites grabbed it up to return it to its rightful spot. 

Everything around Liam and I had changed since then. Everything I had been...was different now. And...well, I couldn't speak for LIam, but..,

_Thanks for saving me._

I forgot my hair was tied up and tried to run my hand through it. I dislodged the ponytail, then looked over at Liam. He was still talking with Mia on the dock. “You’re saying, that in all realities...Liam and I...kiss at that moment?” I frowned. “That is...awfully romantic of the universe.”

“It really isn’t. In other realities, it doesn’t mean as much. Or it does. But it happens, in some way or another.”

I suddenly felt uncomfortable with my love life being discussed so casually. I didn't know why. Maybe it was because I knew, now, that someone had taken advantage of a moment between Liam and I and had used our own magical moment - God, that sounded so cheesy - against us. "Do you know who it was who disturbed the coffer?"

"We showed the elders, but no one is recorded to have accessed this particular coffer in ten or so years," Oleander answered.

"Who has been here since then? Human-wise?"

"Plenty of people," Oleander said. "Our library is accessed by magicians of all races, at any time. They are able to freely roam through the library, however, the section with this coffer requires a magical signature. And before you ask, we did check. There was nothing. Nobody out of the ordinary in the past ten years. In fact, anyone who has accessed this area was elven."

"No one from the school has been here?"

"I'm afraid not. Aside from Professor S, but he hasn't been here for thirty years."

"So someone not only snuck into this dimension, but they also snuck into your library full of elven secrets and history, then they snuck into your more secure section of even more secretive and historical secrets, and accessed powerful knowledge without knowing where to look, and just happened upon this super secret, ancient knowledge, and then snuck out of all these places, back to earth, and used this super secret knowledge against Liam and I, _knowing_ that such a moment was to occur between us?"

Oleander blinked. "It would seem so."

"Right. So either this person is one of the most powerful magicians that has ever lived, if not _the most_ powerful, and is also some sort of ninja, or, this is complete bullshit and you aren't telling me something." I pointed to the two of them.

"I promise you, Julian," Oleander motioned to themselves. "If I knew something, I would tell you."

"Elves are notorious for trying to be mysterious and secretive just to get people to do what they want."

"Even so. I have brought this up with the elders for investigation, however, they are more preoccupied with the crisis with earth right now." Oleander looked a little hurt. "I am as astounded as you are."

"Well, thank you. Both of you. I probably could have gone without this knowledge." I dug my hands in my pockets and gave them a sarcastic bow. I turned to go.

“Wait! There is more!"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Of course there is." I turned to them. "Come on, then."

"What Carter is failing to mention is that there is a possibility of this happening again,” Oleander said. “With you. And Liam. And it seems it may just happen, if...what I am sensing from the both of you is correct."

“You’re reading again? Liam will be thrilled."

“You’re projecting. Both of you. Madly. About the same thing.”

I sucked in a breath. “You can’t be talking about…”

Oleander was quick to my side, moving with inhuman speed. They clamped their hand over my mouth. “Don’t say it.”

“But…” I said it, muffled against their hand.

“Don’t. Not right now. Not here.”

“Fine!”

Oleander removed their hand. 

I straightened my coat, and my hair. This whole conversation irritated the hell out of me. I just wanted it to be over. “Fine. But I don’t see what good it would do me. I don't know how to use this energy, unless you found that in another super secret, super locked coffer that was pilfered recently.” I looked to Carter with suspicion.

"Unfortunately, no," he replied. "This was all that I found."

"You found. You specifically."

"Yeah."

“Are you sure you aren’t a magician? You have an odd knack for finding out things we don’t know, and being there when we need to know something.”

“I would be so lucky,” Carter said. “But no, not a magician. That I know of.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you.”

“Can you sense magic on me?”

I peered at him. “On you...a little bit. In you, no. Oleander?”

“He has the magical capabilities of a hot dog.”

“Hey!”

I made a face. “Yes, well. I do sense some magic on you. I don’t quite know what it is, though. I really wish I’d been able to attend more of the forensics class before the school got destroyed.”

Oleander looked Carter up and down. “It appears as if it is...some sort of placement spell.”

“Placement?”

Carter tried not to squirm under the scrutiny.

“Yes. A subtle direction spell. The details are a little fuzzy. But it is as if...well, the right place at the right time, I suppose?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Carter asked. He looked down at himself. “Is it...going to interfere with anything, you know? Essential?”

“Define essential,” I asked.

“Essential!” Carter motioned to himself.

“It seems a bit old. You’ve had it for a while.” Oleander shrugged. “Someone wanted you to do what you’ve been doing.”

“So a mind control spell?” Carter looked horrified. “Take it off!”

“Why are you panicking?” I asked. “You’re obviously not harmed by it.” I frowned. "Although...why would someone want you to find the coffer? Unless the person who put the spell on you was the same person who robbed your coffer."

"Your super magical ninja?"

"If you must put it that way. Think. Do you remember any magicians casting spells around you?"

"Yeah! All the time, since I was twelve! I've been to magic conventions, magic lectures, magic club in high school, I even attended magic summer camp! I was a mod on a magic forum! How do you think I know what I know? "

"Idiot. You could have been layered with spells, and wouldn't even know. You're lucky you haven't been turned into a newt, or secretly engaged to a princess in a tower."

"Julian," Oleander said calmly. "This doesn't help us."

"No, it doesn't. Because someone has been playing us like a goddamn fiddle, and we're all too hung up in our own personal dramas to notice! And the one race that is supposed to have its shit together has dropped the bloody ball!" I motioned to Oleander.

“Hey! Can we get back to me and this spell? My mind is my most precious commodity!” Carter truly looked panicked. “I don’t want someone else in there, making me crazy!”

“I think you’re good on that, all on your own.”

Oleander sighed. They reached over and thwacked their finger against Carter’s forehead. “Hey!”

Oleander’s fingers pulled back, and with it came a halo of teal energy. It took Carter’s form, then separated from him. It sucked back into itself, into the shape of a ball. Oleander produced a small glass bottle from their robes and the energy flowed into it. They closed it with a stopper. “There.” They turned and handed the bottle to me. “Release this into the earth sphere whenever you get back. It can’t be released here.”

“Noted,” I said. I slipped the bottle into my jacket pocket.

Carter checked himself over. He patted down his arms, then his torso. I was a bit amused when he checked his thighs, his ass, then his junk. He sighed in relief.

“Is everything _essential_ still there?”

“Not funny.”

“Do you feel any different?” Oleander asked.

“Just relieved that I’m not being mind controlled.

“Maybe you should have brought your tin hat?” I said. I turned and began to walk away.

“Where are you going?” Oleander asked.

“Back to my meant-to-be-by-decree-of-the-universe-boyfriend. You know, the Normal? The only one who possibly cannot be manipulating me into doing things?”

"Julian..."

"Forget it, Oleander. I don't want to hear it."

"Julian!"

"What?"

“Remember what I said. Don't say it.”

“Don’t worry.” I said. The fight came out of me, and I felt a certain kind of sadness come over me. Now I couldn't even tell my boyfriend that I loved him.

“Mum’s the word.”


End file.
